COVID-19 versus the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

[sbarrera]

Neil Howe had some great points about this topic (COVID-19 vs. the 1918 flu) which he brought up on his regular webcast at Hedgeye. To wit,

1) In 1918 there was no real treatment other than keeping people warm and hydrated, so there wasn't really an issue of overwhelming the health care system. "Treatment" amounted to a bed and a blanket.
2) In 1918 the economy wasn't affluent enough to conceivably shut down most economic activity for weeks or months.

So basically, regardless of the differences between the diseases and how they spread, our 'world shut down' response makes sense in 2020 compared  to 1918. Today, unlike before, can afford to suspend economic activity for awhile, and there actually is a payoff to minimizing hospitalization since we can save lives with treatment (but have limited resources).

https://app.hedgeye.com/insights/82609-w...e-daryl-jo