In the pandemic of 1918, between 50 and 100 million people are thought to have died, representing as much as 5% of the world’s population. Consider the influenza pandemic of 1918, often referred to erroneously as the “Spanish flu.” Misconceptions about it may be fueling unfounded fears about COVID-19, and now is an especially good time to correct them. But the world has seen pandemics before, and worse ones, too.
