Dear Editor,
The 1918-1919 Spanish (actually Kansas) influenza pandemic killed 6,378 Guyanese, but the estimated number of deaths were about 12,000. About 2-4% of our then population of 310,000 died in two years. The only safety measures then were masking, physical distancing, good hygiene and curfew. There was no vaccine against that virus.
Today our population is 780,000. After a year and 6 months of COVID19, the death toll here is 740 as of September 22, 2021. We are faring better than 100 years ago and better even than the USA where this week its COVID19 death toll has surpassed that of the Spanish-Kansas influenza. But we cannot be complacent. We must continue to follow the safety protocols and get fully vaccinated. We have already lost almost 0.1% of us. We cannot afford to lose 2-4% of us again.
Sincerely,
M. Xiuquan-Balgobind-Hackett
