The Austrian State and the COVID-19 Crisis: Achievements and Failures of a Small European Country During the Pandemic Since 2020

The financial crisis from 2008 onwards had already led to a "return of the state” in many countries. This tendency intensified in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic from the beginning of 2020—as well as in Austria. This chapter asks several research questions on the Austrian state's handling of the pandemic in comparison with the other members of the European Union (EU). The most important are: What were the consequences of the pandemic in the areas of public health, the economy and the labour market;and what successes and failures were achieved in combating the pandemic? It is clear, however, that only an interim assessment can be made;a "definitive” comparative survey of the state performance of the EU members will be possible only in the years to come. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022, corrected publication 2022.

Comparative study of pandemics and their impact on children and adolescents: COVID-19 and Spanish Flu.

Overview: Pandemics are characterized by an abrupt and sudden outburst and absence of preparation for its management. The focus during pandemics is on the medical aspect of the disease and not on its impact on the citizens' or vulnerable groups' psychosocial wellbeing. Aim: The purpose of this study was to highlight the impact of the pandemics of the Spanish Flu and COVID-19 on children and adolescents as well as to recognize their short and long-terms effects on children's and adolescents' physical and mental health. Materials and Methods: The material of this review constituted of publications regarding the impact of the Spanish Flu and COVID-19 on children and adolescents via relative search through valid databases and websites of trustworthy organizations. Results: The main finding of the present review was that pandemics negatively affect children and adolescents undermining their mental and physical health. The factors that negatively impact on this population's normal development include parental death, financial hardships, restrictive measures, disruption of daily routine and absence of social contact. The short-term effects include anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior as well as fear and grief. Mental disorders, disability, poor academic performance and low socioeconomic level are among the long-term effects of the two under study pandemics. Conclusions: Children and adolescents constitute a vulnerable group amidst pandemics and there is a need for coordinated worldwide and national actions to prevent and timely manage a pandemic's impact.

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE IMPORTANCE OF A SHARED MEMORY

The Covid-19 pandemic brought back errors and difficulties that had already been experienced a century ago during the Spanish flu. Now that the pandemic phase of the infection is over, this article proposes a reflection on the years that have just passed, in the hope that the suffering, difficulties and social fracture it caused will not be forgotten and will be regarded as teachings when facing future health and social challenges.Copyright © 2023 Medico e Bambino. All rights reserved.

Spanish Flu times: the 1918 pandemic and the case of Porto Alegre

How to define 1918 pandemic times, that interrupted the rhythm of the beginning of the 20 century and introduced the death temporality? Maybe it was an intermission in the radical notion of progress – a real myth in the Western Culture of that time. For three months the calendar, almost stopped to move. This was the death time, in a society that was not prepared to deal with it. The present time that prevents to think about the past and the future. The waiting time, the doubt time, the trauma time that are frequently silenced, but also the learning experience time. This article intends, therefore, to explore the pandemic temporality as a social marker, and to stablish parallels with the contemporary context of Covid 19. Porto Alegre appears as a case study. (This article was originally a talk to the Anthropology Department of UFRGS, that is why it keeps an essay genre.) © This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Reinfections and Cross-Protection in the 1918/19 Influenza Pandemic: Revisiting a Survey Among Male and Female Factory Workers.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic highlights questions regarding reinfections and immunity resulting from vaccination and/or previous illness. Studies addressing related questions for historical pandemics are limited. Methods: We revisit an unnoticed archival source on the 1918/19 influenza pandemic. We analysed individual responses to a medical survey completed by an entire factory workforce in Western Switzerland in 1919. Results: Among the total of n = 820 factory workers, 50.2% reported influenza-related illness during the pandemic, the majority of whom reported severe illness. Among male workers 47.4% reported an illness vs. 58.5% of female workers, although this might be explained by varied age distribution for each sex (median age was 31 years old for men, vs. 22 years old for females). Among those who reported illness, 15.3% reported reinfections. Reinfection rates increased across the three pandemic waves. The majority of subsequent infections were reported to be as severe as the first infection, if not more. Illness during the first wave, in the summer of 1918, was associated with a 35.9% (95%CI, 15.7-51.1) protective effect against reinfections during later waves. Conclusion: Our study draws attention to a forgotten constant between multi-wave pandemics triggered by respiratory viruses: Reinfection and cross-protection have been and continue to be a key topic for health authorities and physicians in pandemics, becoming increasingly important as the number of waves increases.

The Spanish Flu of 1918: A Historical Reflection and Lessons from Masonic Lodges.

A catastrophic Spanish flu pandemic spread throughout the world during 1918-1919. In the spring of 1918, an army training center at the Fort Riley Kansas reported the first cases of Spanish flu in the United States. The first reported cases of the Spanish Flu of the virus in Kansas were quite moderate. The Spanish flu took an ominous turn in the fall of 1918 when injured soldiers who contracted the Spanish flu returned to the United States, spreading the illness across urban and rural communities. During this period of the Spanish flu, the freemason lodges served as accessory hospitals to help manage the growing Spanish flu cases across the United States. In this paper, we explore the experiences, challenges, and lessons from Freemason lodges during the Spanish flu to provide context and historical insights into the overlaps between the Spanish Flu and the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The digital revolution and religious fact in the context of lockdowns linked to the coronavirus

The acceleration of the transformations brought about by digital technology is profoundly disrupting society and the established economic models. This chapter analyzes the impact of lockdown on the spiritual lives of believers and the innovative contribution of digital tools for the maintenance and renewal of religious practices within communities, subject to strong restrictions of individual and collective freedoms imposed by the public authorities. Religion is the set of beliefs, feelings, dogmas and practices that define the relationship of human beings with the sacred or a deity. The concept of confinement in the religious sphere has been closely linked to the history of religious practices since the beginning. In Europe, during the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918-1919, when the mechanisms of contagion were already well known, France severely restricted religious services. The tools most used during the Covid-19 lockdown were ultimately quite similar in both the professional and private spheres. © ISTE Ltd 2022.

The Spanish Flu Pandemic and Income Distribution in Java: Lessons from the 1920s

COVID-19 pandemic has renewed the debate over economic inequality as well as the relative importance of policies for saving lives vs. protecting livelihoods during times of crisis. This paper therefore offers some insights from economic history through investigating the relationship between the Spanish Flu pandemic and income distribution at the residency level in late colonial Java, Indonesia's most populous province. In addition, we examine recent inequality trends in Java during COVID-19. Our econometric analysis shows that population fatality during pandemic is negatively associated with economic inequality across 14 residencies. This in turn improved income distribution across residencies in the post-pandemic period in late colonial Java. We also find some evidence that estate land for commercial plantation moderated the re-distributive role of the pandemic. Based on the results, we further discuss the key lessons learned from the Spanish flu for contemporary times, proposing possible causes of increasing inequality due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of protecting citizens in productive age groups, especially those on low incomes. Referring to more recent spatial and temporal trends, we conjecture on the existence of an inequality trap in Java. Although this did not follow the historical pattern evident in late colonial Java, COVID-19 may have at least a scarring effect on residency-level inequality in Java. © 2022 Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. All rights reserved.

The Mystery of the Missing Pandemic

In the history of medicine, the 1918 influenza pandemic (otherwise known as the Spanish flu) occupies a curious place. For decades, historians have claimed that this event reshaped human history, but then somehow disappeared, leaving little historical trace. They have also claimed that this forgetting is particularly evident in the Global South, which experienced the worst devastation. If the Spanish flu has been forgotten, what would its memorialization look like? The first part of this essay outlines the dangers of presuming a proper mode of remembering. The second part proposes an alternative: what if we take the absence of memorialization not as a lack demanding intervention but as a conceptual insight? Finally, this essay clarifies the implications of this refusal to identify the Global South as a zone of exceptional abjection—of human lives as well as of historical accounting—for our practices of remembering COVID-19. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of History of the Present is the property of Duke University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Do pandemics spawn extremism? Spanish flu deaths and the Ku Klux Klan.

Scholars and journalists connect pandemics to a rise in support for radical political movements. In this study, we draw on this insight to investigate the relationship between the 1918-1919 Spanish influenza pandemic and political extremism-here, the rise of the second Ku Klux Klan-in the United States. Specifically, we ask whether U.S. states and cities with higher death rates from the Spanish flu also had stronger Ku Klux Klan organizations in the early 1920s. Our results do not provide evidence of such a connection; in fact, the data suggest greater Klan membership where the pandemic was less severe. This provides initial evidence that pandemic severity, as measured by mortality, is not necessarily a cause of extremism in the United States; power devaluation as a result of social and cultural change, however, does appear to spur such mobilization.

COVID-19, Virtual Engagement and the Psychoid Imagination.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on analytic training and the delivery of educational content is explored here. The proliferation of Zoom therapy and teaching is creating a post-human platform to which nearly everyone in contemporary society has had to adapt. Looking at the possible meanings of the pandemic, a psychoid factor (the virus) engaging the imagination has come to the fore as a response to climate change. The striking similarity to the H1N1 viral pandemic ("Spanish flu") is noted, especially in the context of C. G. Jung having had a case in 1919 during which he experienced a number of visions and dreams. The imagery produced can be seen as an implicit attempt at "re-enchanting the world" found in The red book. Finally, a reconsideration of pedagogy in response to the pandemic is discussed with an eye to the archetypal aspects of internet communications.

Cet article étudie l'impact de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur la formation des analystes et sur la manière dont le contenu éducatif est dispensé. La prolifération de thérapie et de formation par Zoom crée une plateforme post-humaine à laquelle quasiment toute personne dans la société contemporaine a eu à s'adapter. En regardant les sens possibles que l'on peut donner à la pandémie, un facteur psychoïde (le virus) qui mobilise l'imagination a pris le devant de la scène en tant que réponse au changement climatique. L'article souligne la similarité frappante avec la pandémie virale H1N1 (la grippe espagnole), particulièrement dans le contexte où C.G. Jung l'a attrapée en 1919 et a fait l'expérience d'un certain nombre de visions et de rêves. L'imagerie produite peut être vue comme une tentative implicite de « ré-enchanter le monde ¼ telle qu'on la trouve dans le Livre Rouge. En conclusion, une reconsidération de la pédagogie issue de la pandémie est discutée en tenant compte des aspects archétypaux des communications par internet.

Se exploran aquí las repercusiones de la pandemia de COVID-19 en la formación analítica y en la transmisión de contenidos educativos. La proliferación de la terapia y la enseñanza vía Zoom está creando una plataforma posthumana a la que casi todo el mundo en la sociedad contemporánea ha tenido que adaptarse. En cuanto a los posibles significados de la pandemia, un factor psicoide (el virus) que atrae la imaginación ha pasado a primer plano como respuesta al cambio climático. Se observa la sorprendente similitud con la pandemia viral H1N1 ("gripe española"), especialmente en el contexto de un caso que C.G. Jung tuvo en 1919 durante el cual experimentó una serie de visiones y sueños. La imaginería producida puede verse como un intento implícito de "reencantar el mundo" que se encuentra en El Libro Rojo. Por último, se plantea una reconsideración de la pedagogía en respuesta a la pandemia, teniendo en cuenta los aspectos arquetípicos de las comunicaciones por Internet.

The impact of pandemics on labour organization: insights from an Italian company archive during the Spanish Flu.

In this paper, we discuss the classical modelling approach of pandemics as a negative labour shock. We perform an archival analysis of one of the largest Italian banks (Credito Italiano) during the First World War - Spanish Flu period (1914-1920). In particular, we scrutinise the circulars that the central management of the bank sent out to the local branches, with the aim to assess whether the Spanish Flu has been perceived by contemporaries as an event seriously affecting personnel management. Though restricted to a single case-study, archival evidence does not support the existence of a remarkable negative labour supply shock affecting personnel management because of the Spanish Flu pandemic. Other war-related events probably increased the system's resilience.

Timeless principles of social marketing communication: a comparison of the Spanish flu and COVID-19 pandemic communication in South Korea

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the core tenets of social marketing communications in managing acute infectious disease outbreaks based on a historical review of two major pandemics in South Korea. Design/methodology/approach: Two researchers reviewed newspapers, journal papers, archived documents and other historical materials to examine social marketing communications used in both Spanish flu and COVID-19 pandemics by South Koreans. Findings: Despite two events being a century apart and the social context of two eras being starkly different, behavioral recommendations for both pandemics were nearly identical. Two major lessons arose from the review. First, a full disclosure of the pandemic-related information is important. Second, proper management of conflicting information is highly desired as an integral part of pandemic social marketing communication campaigns. Originality/value: Understanding the importance of social marketing in raising public awareness, this paper provides a historical comparison between the 1918–1919 Spanish flu and COVID-19, focusing on the social communications used during these two pandemics. The paper contributes to the health marketing literature as well as to practice by drawing implications relevant to social marketing communication used in disease pandemics. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Centenarians born before 1919 are resistant to COVID-19.

Although mortality from COVID-19 progressively increases with age, there are controversial data in the literature on the probability of centenarians dying from COVID-19. Moreover, it has been claimed that men in their 90s and 100s are more resilient than women. To gain insight into this matter, we analysed, according to gender, mortality data during the first year of pandemic of Sicilian nonagenarians and centenarians. We used mortality data from the 2019 as a control. The crude excess mortality between the two years was calculated. Data on deaths of Sicilian 90 + years show that, in line with what is known about the different response to infections between the two genders, oldest females are more resilient to COVID-19 than males. Moreover, centenarians born before 1919, but not "younger centenarians", are resilient to COVID-19. This latter datum should be related to the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, although the mechanisms involved are not clear.

Role of Sex and Age in Fatal Outcomes of COVID-19: Women and Older Centenarians Are More Resilient.

In the present paper, we have analysed the role of age and sex in the fatal outcome of COVID-19, as there are conflicting results in the literature. As such, we have answered three controversial questions regarding this aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) Have women been more resilient than men? (2) Did centenarians die less than the remaining older people? (3) Were older centenarians more resistant to SARS-CoV-2 than younger centenarians? The literature review demonstrated that: (1) it is women who are more resilient, in agreement with data showing that women live longer than men even during severe famines and epidemics; however, there are conflicting data regarding centenarian men; (2) centenarians overall did not die less than remaining older people, likely linked to their frailty; (3) in the first pandemic wave of 2020, centenarians > 101 years old (i.e., born before 1919), but not "younger centenarians", have been more resilient to COVID-19 and this may be related to the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic, although it is unclear what the mechanisms might be involved.

The Impact of the Spanish Flu on the Artiguense Society in 1918

Throughout history, mankind has faced epidemics and pandemics caused by microscopic organisms that, taking into account their biological condition, means of transport and mobility, have spread over large areas of territory affecting villages, societies and civilizations, causing serious damage depending on their aggressiveness. So far in the 21st century, the world has had to face several viral outbreaks that have caused millions of deaths, going from epidemic to pandemic in record time, largely due to two key factors: the aggressiveness and resistance of viruses and the increasingly faster and more accessible means of transportation. In relation to the aforementioned, the SARS-COV2, H1N1, INFLUENZA and its variants stand out and have seriously affected us as a society. In recent times we tend to believe that we are going through unprecedented moments of humanity where a great part of life in society is modified in order to face this situation, forgetting that every now and then a new virus emerges that forces us to reconfigure ourselves as a society and to fight it in order not to lose or get lost in the attempt. The Spanish Flu was an influenza that in its first outbreak in 1918 killed more than one million people in the world and spread throughout the five continents. It arrived in Uruguay around the same time it arrived in Argentina and Brazil, with reports of cases in the capital (Montevideo), and in a more generalized way in the interior of the country. Based on microhistory, a fieldwork research is carried out based on interviews with protagonists and health professionals, accompanied by studies of archival sources (Civil Registry and cemetery archives) and different materials, where the triangulation of information is sought to reach conclusions and new unknowns. The aim is to reveal the way in which the society of 1918 in the city of Artiguez went through the Spanish Flu pandemic, taking into account its geographical location and place of transit between Argentina and Brazil, economic resources and demographic development. As additional data, we can say that in the course of the research, the concept of Spanish Flu is problematized and new conclusions are reached.

Narrative review on century of respiratory pandemics from Spanish flu to COVID-19 and impact of nanotechnology on COVID-19 diagnosis and immune system boosting.

The rise of the highly lethal severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-2) as corona virus 2019 (COVID-19) reminded us of the history of other pandemics that happened in the last century (Spanish flu) and stayed in the current century, which include Severe-Acute-Respiratory-Syndrome (SARS), Middle-East-Respiratory-Syndrome (MERS), Corona Virus 2019 (COVID-19). We review in this report the newest findings and data on the origin of pandemic respiratory viral diseases, reservoirs, and transmission modes. We analyzed viral adaption needed for host switch and determinants of pathogenicity, causative factors of pandemic viruses, and symptoms and clinical manifestations. After that, we concluded the host factors associated with pandemics morbidity and mortality (immune responses and immunopathology, ages, and effect of pandemics on pregnancy). Additionally, we focused on the burdens of COVID-19, non-pharmaceutical interventions (quarantine, mass gatherings, facemasks, and hygiene), and medical interventions (antiviral therapies and vaccines). Finally, we investigated the nanotechnology between COVID-19 analysis and immune system boosting (Nanoparticles (NPs), antimicrobial NPs as antivirals and immune cytokines). This review presents insights about using nanomaterials to treat COVID-19, improve the bioavailability of the abused drugs, diminish their toxicity, and improve their performance.

Unequal excess mortality during the Spanish Flu pandemic in the Netherlands.

A century after the Spanish Flu, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought renewed attention to socioeconomic and occupational differences in mortality in the earlier pandemic. The magnitude of these differences and the pathways between occupation and increased mortality remain unclear, however. In this paper, we explore the relation between occupational characteristics and excess mortality among men during the Spanish Flu pandemic in the Netherlands. By creating a new occupational coding for exposure to disease at work, we separate social status and occupational conditions for viral transmission. We use a new data set based on men's death certificates to calculate excess mortality rates by region, age group, and occupational group. Using OLS regression models, we estimate whether social position, regular interaction in the workplace, and working in an enclosed space affected excess mortality among men in the Netherlands in the autumn of 1918. We find some evidence that men with occupations that featured high levels of social contact had higher mortality in this period. Above all, however, we find a strong socioeconomic gradient to excess mortality among men during the Spanish Flu pandemic, even after accounting for exposure in the workplace.