I think it was actually relatively the same. Different styles etc, but there were people back then that didn't feel like distancing or wearing a mask and there were laws put in place that would land you in jail if you went out without a mask. And there were protestors against that, just like now. And they too got infected, spread it around and some died.

It's an excellent (sad) example of history repeating itself.

On the other hand, things aren't all that comparable. Consider the distances people travel, the amount of people that use the same space, but also the amount of single-use things we have now that we didn't have (at scale) back then (even simple things like spoons, napkins, cups).

People love to make comparisons, but it's not always as useful or helpful as one might think (even if we went all the way down the rabbit hole and tried to find all the variables between now and then).

When talking about mortality rates I don't think it is easy to make a comparison of these two virus.

Firstly, the medical technologies of 1918 were nothing like what we have today.

For example, even though it would have been no help fighting Spanish Flu, wide spread use of penicillin was still some 20 years, showing just how far behind the medical system of that time really was.

That difference also shows up in things like life expectancy which back then was in the low 50s where as today it is in the 70s.

Finally the two virus are very different.

One factor that made the Spanish Flu virus so deadly was it killed both young and old.

If COVID-19 had the same death profile I suspect we would be seeing those same 750,000 totals.

All of that, plus a context of wartime

And this deathcount was for an event that extended for 16 months between 2918 and 1920. We are in the eight month of covid-19 still

2918... (LOL)

1918

Back then there was hardy any reporting at all. They tried to keep it under wraps as much as possible. It’s the whole reason it was called the “Spanish” flu, as Spain was the only country accurately reporting on the crisis, which made it seem like a problem unique to them.

People had lower expectations of healthcare back in the 20’s. Many of the vaccines we have today didn’t exist, and there were no antibiotics.