Читать книгу Spanish Flu vs Covid-19, which is the worst pandemic? - Farzana Prior - Страница 11

In Pittsburgh on the other hand, senior officials executed a public gathering ban on October 4^th 1918 but their subordinates only implemented the ban on the 24^th of October, around the time of school closures. Only a week later, did the city ban all public gatherings. Pittsburgh implemented its lockdown measures late and not all-at-once.

Pittsburgh’s total Excess Death Rate was 807/100 000 (higher than New York City) and achieved the worse mortality rates out of 43 US cities studied. The Public Health Response Time was +7 days, and the lockdown measures were implemented for only 53 days. A short lockdown compared to other cities.

The first case reported in Pittsburgh, was the 4^th of September. The lockdown measures were implemented an entire month later, on the 4^th of October. The time to peak was 32 days, only three days sooner than New York City, but produced a peak death rate much higher than New York City at 130/100 000.

From the first days of the ban, Pittsburgh city officials expressed ambivalence and hostility. They were reluctant to shut down the city’s economy and the apathy towards the longstanding health of its population, as depicted by the longstanding high coal-burning pollution levels in Pittsburgh, was reflected in the highest Spanish Flu per capita death rate in the nation.

Denver responded twice with extensive measures of lockdown measures, which included public gathering bans, school closures, isolation and quarantine including staggered business hours. This city’s first case was documented on the 17^th of September and the date of the first lockdown measure was the 6^th of October. Meaning Denver took a longer time to respond than New York City.