This project gives a side-by-side comparison of The Asian Flu pandemic of 1957 against the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, it juxtaposes coverage of these events in New York City, a location that gained the title of 'epicenter' during both pandemics. Through a collection of text and images, we can conclude that similar themes of fear and doubt were present during each. And through the research presented, we can analyze how differing plans-of-action contributed to varying public opinion and economic outcomes.
ORIGINS
By the 1950s, Influenza wasn't a foreign concept to Americans, but when wind of a new strain hit the New York Times in April of 1957, the United States was unsure of what was to come.
The New York Times' announcement of the outbreak in Hong Kong caught the attention of Maurice Hilleman, a microbiologist who specialized in vaccine production. Hilleman had been involved in the creation of vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and chickenpox, and immediately began working on a vaccine for this unidentified type of influenza. The article, seen to the left, was the first introduction of what would later be known as The Asian Flu – named after its geographical origins.
Nearly 63 years later, the headlines read the same, announcing an unknown virus infecting those in the Wuhan region of China.
Americans had similar feelings of uncertainty in 2020; cautious of this unfamiliar virus, and curious as to how it would affect the United States. Researchers knew nothing about this new strain other than it manifested as pneumonia-like symptoms in infected individuals. So little was known about the coronavirus, that initial news of its discovery claimed it to not be transmissible by humans.
VACCINE APPROACH
Dr. Hilleman worked quickly to combat the Asian Flu, which allowed for a readily available vaccine before the virus had reached the United States. His expedited process was one that was mirrored in 2020, but not executed as effectively. The first positive case of COVID-19 on American soil was on January 20, 2020, and on March 30, 2020, Operation Warp Speed (OWS) went into effect.
The New York Times special of the Hong Kong virus was a major stepping stone in the development of the Asian Flu vaccine. It prompted Maurice Hilleman to request a sample of the virus from a U.S. serviceman stationed abroad. This began an expedited process of vaccine production, one similar to that of the expedited coronavirus vaccine process. Hilleman began sending the sample to manufacturers to begin developments – helping one company gain major recognition for their involvement with the vaccine.
Image: Dr. Maurice Hilleman inspects a sample at the Merck Institute of Therapeutic Research (AP)
Pfizer, a leading pharmaceutical company, was recognized in The New York Times for taking the reins with the Asian Flu. Their quick call-to-action paid off, and the company reached record breaking sales in 1957 due to the Asian Flu's generated supply and demand.
The pandemics, past and present, paved the way for Pfizer to distribute their products to a large number of people.
They experienced another record sales year in 2020 for their distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. The company signed a $5.97B contract with Operation Warp Speed to produce 300 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at an expedited rate. The articles below show the New York Times' documentation of Pfizers success.
HOSPITAL OVERFLOW
The onset of Asian Flu and COVID-19 hit NYC quicker than expected, quickly filling medical facilities with victims of the viruses. The massive amounts of admissions soon overwhelmed the city's hospitals, leaving medical professionals tirelessly overworked.
NYC's Harlem Hospital was overflowing with an influx of Asian Flu patients. Densely populated areas saw massive spikes in transmission, which contributed to New York City being labeled as the epicenter. Nearby hospitals quickly flooded with positive cases, and medical facilities throughout the city weren't prepared to accommodate the masses.
Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic brought on a swell of patients that outnumbered beds in medical facilities. Medical personnel were flown in from around the country, in hopes of lessening the weight that New York City hospitals were experiencing. Highly populated areas were hit the hardest, lending NYC to once again become the United States' epicenter for the coronavirus.
The pandemics and the NYC School District
New York City houses the largest school district in the United States. The following section discusses the role children played with the virus, and the losses the district experienced during the onset of both pandemics.
Unlike COVID-19, The Asian Flu mainly targeted young people ages 5-14, compromising their immune systems more intensely than older aged people. In the densely populated area of NYC, many parents decided to pull their kids out of school. This contributed to a city-wide trend that occurred over the next couple months: when attendance levels were low, schools would close on a week-by-week basis.
The NYC school district faced severe economic loss with weekly shut downs. And concurrently, many school-aid programs, discouraged by low attendance numbers, decided to cut funding.
The increasing number of absences posed to be a huge threat. In October of 1957, The State Department of Education passed a ruling stating,
"...Schools that remain open will not receive state aid for students absent because of influenza..."
This loss of steady funding quickly compromised the schools' abilities to function properly. And until the end of the Asian Flu pandemic, the NYC school district faced severe economic turmoil.
New York City's school system saw similar drops in attendance when the COVID-19 pandemic rolled around. The coronavirus didn't target children as did The Asian Flu, but children did become "super spreaders" of the virus, and with thousands of children voluntary leaving the system, officials found it best to pull the plug completely. Researchers couldn't pin the drop entirely on the pandemic, but it was a large contributor, and the stepping stone in the state's decision to shut down and enact the stay at home order.
QUARANTINE
Officials had different methods of combatting each pandemic, despite both manifesting with very similar symptoms. In 1957, the consensus was that any potential repercussions, both mental and economic, outweighed any triumph that would come with mass quarantining. In a special to The New York Times, The World Health Group stated,
"Large scale efforts at quarantining were termed as costly as they are ineffective."
But as we know with the COVID-19 pandemic, this wasn't the case. In an attempt to slow the outbreaks, states placed restrictions on what was considered necessary for the public. New York City was the first to declare a stay-at-home order, with the rest to shortly follow. Masks were required everywhere, travel was limited, and non-essential businesses were no longer allowed to operate. The world we once knew had completely shifted, so when comparing the two pandemics, I find myself wondering two things.
With nearly identical viruses, what risk factor changed to deem mass quarantining necessary in 2020?
Why in 1957 did officials consider the health of the economy and mental stability to outweigh transmission levels?
Quarantine and the Economy
Public officials' decisions to handle the pandemics directly affected economic trends seen in following years. 2020 quarantine efforts to wrangle in transmission levels manifested into a new market never before seen, creating opportunity for a new type of business.
When discussing the economy, it's important to consider what else the United States had been dealt that year. Paired with the onset of The 1957 Asian Flu, was the Space Race. And on October 4, 1957, once confident Americans were now feeling defeated with the Russian's launch of Sputnik. Feelings of fear and uncertainty led to The Dow Jones Industrial Average depreciating by 15.5% in the year 1958, one of the largest hits we've ever seen historically.
Modern efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic led to mass-scale quarantining and stay-at-home efforts. While this did significantly impact the restaurant and entertainment markets, we saw a boom in another area that made up for this lost revenue.
The pandemic paved the way for technology to supply what Americans had been forced to give up. Companies such as Zoom and Amazon, created products to adhere to the demand, and reaped the benefits of a successful market. The introduction of "Stay-at-Home" Stocks allowed for creativity to boom in areas that were forced to adapt. And despite the changes that took hold of our economy, the stay at home order still made it possible for companies to grow under new circumstances.
FEAR & DOUBT
What was racing through the minds of Americans living through these pandemics? What trust, or rather mistrust, did they place in their government, and how did their beliefs translate into action?
With the Asian Flu of 1957, many had their doubts. The New York Times addressed the two major questions the public had: Is it a real pandemic? And is the vaccine safe? Many questioned the numbers being shown to them, and wondered if what they were seeing was an accurate representation of the virus's effects. They debated whether numbers were being manipulated to make the Asian Flu seem greater than it actually was. And with the expedited vaccine process, they also questioned the safety of it. Many discussions were opened to compare the risks alongside the benefits, a conversation we saw quite frequently with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the main difference between then questions asked in 1957 and the questions asked in 2020 was the way the people got to thinking.
The polarization of politics didn't exist in 1957 the way it did during the coronavirus pandemic. The questions that came to be in the minds of the public came logically, through analyzing the information presented to them. While in 2020, the questions came to be because of the political agendas government officials placed in the minds of the public. Opposing political parties took drastic differences in determining how to handle the pandemic, which led to different strategies to curb the outbreaks. Political leaders across the United States have heavily influenced beliefs and ideology regarding the pandemic being a government hoax or the legitimacy of the vaccine. The debate about whether or not to be vaccinated is no longer logical the way it was in 1957, but political.
Photo courtesy of Antonio de Luca
These tactics, performed by United States politicians, presented themselves in a Pew Research study that analyzed which Americans are more willing to believe the conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19. The graph below shows what percent of Americans, according to political affiliation, believe the COVID-19 pandemic was planned.
34% of Americans that identified as Republican or republican leaning claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic was probably made up. Compared to the 18% that identified as Democratic or democratic leaning, it's clear the polarization of government played a direct role in the public's doubt and fear. And this division of beliefs is the reason the COVID-19 pandemic was paired with a new anti-vaccination movement, aimed at unraveling the "deception" of our government.
CONCLUSION
The Asian Flu pandemic of 1957 and the COVID-19 pandemic were strikingly similar in nature. From expedited vaccine processes, to overwhelmed healthcare facilities, both pandemics shared many characteristics. But different approaches to combating transmission rates led to very different economic outcomes. A mass quarantine order during the COVID-19 pandemic led to an economic boom of stay-at-home stocks, opening the doors to an industry brought on by these sudden changes. The COVID-19 pandemic experienced a lack of trust in the government and polarizing political agendas which led to a broader division of Americans. Similar fear and doubt existed in 1957, but a more united America quickly overcame these uncertainties and trusted their government's plan-of-action. But a common thread between the two pandemics was the way it affected New York City's school district, and the massive loss of funding that came as a result. The analysis's made between the Asian Flu and COVID-19, provide us with ways to tackle pandemics that plague our nation in the future. The researched comparatives serve as educational resources to track and predict which plans-of-action are better suited for our country at any given time.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Sources
“HONG KONG BATTLING INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC.” The New York Times, April 17, 1957.
“ASIAN FLU CALLED MILD: World Health Group Declares Quarantining Is Ineffective.” The New York Times, June 15, 1957.
Lawrence , W.H. “EISENHOWER GETS AN ASIAN FLU SHOT.” The New York Times, August 27, 1957.
Alden, Robert. “FLU VICTIMS JAM HOSPITAL CLINICS.” The New York Times, October 4, 1957.
Robinson, Layhmond. “Is It a Real Epidemic?” The New York Times, October 10, 1957.
Alden, Robert. “DROP IN CITY FLU SPURS PUPIL RISE.” The New York Times, October 15, 1957.
Weaver , Warren. “FLU EPIDEMIC CUTS STATE SCHOOL AID.” The New York Times, October 29, 1957.
Miller, Francis. Photograph. 1957.
Schersche, Frank. Photograph. 1957.
Sanders, Walter. The Production of the Flu Vaccine. 1957. Photograph.
“CHAZ. PFIZER & CO.” The New York Times, March 14, 1958.
“HIGHLIGHTS AND SIDELIGHTS OF 1957.” The New York Times, March 23, 1958.
Susman, Ed. “Ed Susman.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, April 9, 2013. https://www.cdc.gov/publications/panflu/stories/1957_susman.html.
Wee, Sui-lee, and Donald G. Mcneil. “China Identifies New Virus Causing Pneumonialike Illness.” The New York Times, January 9, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/08/health/china-pneumonia-outbreak-virus.html?searchResultPosition=1.
Opam, Kwame. “It’s Not ‘Shelter in Place’: What the New Coronavirus Restrictions Mean.” The New York Times, March 24, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-shelter-in-place-coronavirus.html.
Rothfeld, Michael, Somini Sengupta, Joseph Goldstein, and Brian M. Rosenthal. “13 Deaths in a Day: An ‘Apocalyptic’ Coronavirus Surge at an N.Y.C. Hospital.” The New York Times, March 25, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/nyregion/nyc-coronavirus-hospitals.html.
Byfield, Erica. “NYC School Programs Lose Millions in Funding Just Weeks Before School Year Starts.” NBC New York, August 18, 2020. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nyc-school-programs-lose-millions-in-funding-just-weeks-before-school-year-starts/2572290/.
Haberman, Maggie. “Trump and His Wife Received Coronavirus Vaccine before Leaving the White House.” The New York Times, March 1, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/01/us/politics/donald-trump-melania-coronavirus-vaccine.html.
Rutherford, Lucie. “Professors Examine Unexpected Success in Stock Market during COVID-19 Pandemic.” The Cavalier Daily - University of Virginia's Student Newspaper, March 30, 2021. https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2021/03/professors-examine-unexpected-success-in-stock-market-during-covid-19-pandemic.
Russonello, Giovanni. “The Rising Politicization of Covid Vaccines.” The New York Times, April 6, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/06/us/politics/covid-vaccine-skepticism.html.
Robbins, Rebecca, and Peter S. Goodman. “Pfizer Reaps Hundreds of Millions in Profits From Covid Vaccine.” The New York Times, May 4, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/business/pfizer-covid-vaccine-profits.html.
Shapiro, Eliza. “Enrollment in N.Y.C. Public Schools Declined by 50,000 since the start of the pandemic.” The New York Times, October 29, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/nyregion/nyc-schools-enrollment-covid.html.
Secondary Sources
Harriman, Averell. “New York State Budget Summary,” February 1, 1957. https://openbudget.ny.gov/historicalFP/classic/MidYear5758.pdf.
Suneson, Grant, Michael B. Sauter, and John Harrington. “Here's How Much the Dow Was Worth the Year You Were Born.” USA Today, June 8, 2019. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2019/03/15/dow-jones-industrial-average-stock-markets-value-going-back-1929/39151375/.
Schaeffer, Katherine. “A Look at the Americans Who Believe There Is Some Truth to the Conspiracy Theory That Covid-19 Was Planned.” Pew Research Center, July 24, 2020. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/07/24/a-look-at-the-americans-who-believe-there-is-some-truth-to-the-conspiracy-theory-that-covid-19-was-planned/.
Brothers, Will. “A Timeline of COVID-19 Vaccine Development.” BioSpace, December 3, 2020. https://www.biospace.com/article/a-timeline-of-covid-19-vaccine-development/.
Pinkowski, Jen. “The History of the Forgotten Pandemic.” Yale Insights, January 7, 2021. https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/the-history-of-the-forgotten-pandemic.
“Operation Warp Speed Contracts for COVID-19 Vaccines and Ancillary Vaccination Materials.” Congressional Research Service, March 1, 2021. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11560.
Merriam-Webster, s.v. “pandemic,” accessed October 11, 2021, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pandemic.
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