When comparing "different approaches" you need to look at many factors: population density, environment (average temperature), living conditions (like multi-generational families living together.) Countries are not directly comparable for this reason.
No, they didn't. The population back then wasn't as depressed and anxious as today's population.
They didn't extrapolate figures and trends and charts. They were not bombarded by news on 5 different screen devices.
They'd notice when 5,6,7 or even 10 people they knew, and in the same age/health cohort as them would become incapacitated for more than 4 weeks, but in order to really notice it the same amount of people would have to be dying from the disease.
How many people you know became incapacitated for more than 4 weeks because of COVID? 2 years into it how many died?
As for Covid, I personally know at least 5 people who got sick, 1 was out of work for 4 weeks, though none died. How about you?
What do your parents tell you about that year?
Students protests
Vietnam War
Woodstock
Moon landing
Drugs
African Americans finally getting their voices heard.
Nobody ever mentions the 1968 flu pandemic, given how things are 50 years from now we'd still be talking about COVID and fearing its #100,000 variant.
> As for Covid, I personally know at least 5 people who got sick, 1 was out of work for 4 weeks, though none died. How about you?
1 got sick, recovered in 8 days. Considering the median individual has a circle of 200 people they know.
It's 1/200 for me and 1/200 for you.
But yeah, you're probably right... if things keep up like this, we won't go back to normal due to anxiety and fear. I can see this going on for additional years.
In my country we had a serious flu in 2017/18 that nobody remembers anymore. Back then the number of hospitalized were more than double of the current numbers.
And yet here we are with new restrictions going into effect. It's time to say enough is enough and elect politicians that can treat Corona as a disease we have to live with.
1918 is remembered as the year when the Great War ended and several empires disintegrated, even though the flu almost certainly killed more people than the war, and in much shorter time.
And yet, books, movies and songs about the Spanish flu are rare.