A Warning From the Author of ‘The Great Influenza’

John Barry, author of The Great Influenza, writes in the New York Times:

“In April, I predicted that summer would not bring relief from the virus, and that we would experience not a second wave but continuous swells, depending on how well we complied with public health measures. Unfortunately too many states eased up too early or did little or nothing to control the virus. On the day that prediction was published, April 30, the seven-day average of new cases was 28,943. On Aug. 16, the seven-day average was 51,523.”

“I also warned of not simply swells but a viral hurricane-like storm surge if the country does not act aggressively and the public fails to comply. I stand by that prediction. Tens of thousands more will die on top of the more than 170,000 already lost in the U.S., and millions will suffer economic devastation.”

“And, in reality, all of it will be unnecessary. God help us.”

The Great Influenza

The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History

by John M. Barry · Penguin Books · 2005

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