Spanish Flu and COVID Transmission Routes and U.S. Mask MandatesSpanish Flu and COVID Transmission Routes and U.S. Mask Mandates

Creator: Philip Cavallo ’22 History

Despite its name, the Spanish Flu most likely originated from the United States in Fort Riley Kansas. The government first took notice of the virus at Camp Devens, just outside of Boston. The Flu spread rapidly through the United States army in the first half of 1918. Major cities were also affected. Noticeably, San Francisco was hit with two waves while Philadelphia struggled through one massive wave in which 13,426 people died. The Covid-19 pandemic was arguably worse, originating in major cities, such as Seattle and New York. Covid spread quickly to other larger cities and then throughout the Midwest. Masks were used during both pandemics to varying degrees. As this map demonstrates, states that had a mask mandate in effect as of 4/16/2021 generally have fewer Covid cases per 10,000 individuals. This implies that masks are effective, although it is worth noting that the map does not consider states that had mask mandates in the past. Also, almost all of the states that currently have mask mandates have democratic governors, suggesting a political factor to requiring masks.
 
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CDC. “1918 Pandemic Influenza Historic Timeline.” Accessed May 7, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/pandemic-timeline-1918.htm.

Crosby, Alfred W. America’s Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918. Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Alcantara, Junne, Reis Thebault, and Tim Meko. “Coronavirus Timeline.” Washington Post. Accessed May 7, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/interactive/2021/coronavirus-timeline/.