Harvard expert compares 1918 flu, COVID-19
This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring. Olga Jonas, senior fellow at the Harvard Global Health Institute, is an expert in managing the risks of pandemics. During her 33-year stint as an economist at the World Bank, one of her responsibilities was to coordinate the bank’s contribution to the global efforts in 2006‒12 to reduce the avian and pandemic influenza threats. In 2013, Jonas authored “Pandemic Risk” for the annual flagship publication, the World Development Report. As The Gazette spoke with Jonas about what governments can learn from the coronavirus outbreak to be prepared for the next pandemic, the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, was showing that the virus has infected more than 2 million people and killed more than 150,000 worldwide. Q&A Olga Jonas GAZETTE: What are...