Table 1 A comparison between 1918 influenza pandemic and COVID-19 pandemic

Causative virus

Influenza A (H1N1)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Average incubation Period [70]

(mean, range)

2 days (1–4 days)

5 days (2–14 days) [71,72,73]

Number of cases worldwide (estimated)

500 million [74]

80.6 million (as of 27 December 2020) [75]

Number of deaths worldwide (est.)

50 million [76]

1.8 million (as of 27 December 2020) [75]

Fatality rate (est.)

2–3% [77]

2.2% (calculated from JHU data: # of deaths worldwide/# of cases worldwide) – 4% [73, 75]

Number of U.S. service members infected (est.)

> 1 million [23]

101,236 (as of 23 December 2020) [11]

Number of deaths among U.S. military (est.)

45,000 [24] to > 56,000 [78]

14 (as of 23 December 2020) [11]

Strategies implemented for spread limitation among military members

Hand hygiene, closing of common spaces, limitation of liberty, sneeze screens

Quarantines/restriction of movement (ROM), stop movement order, de-crowding of ships, social distancing, universal mask wear

Contributions of U.S. military to combat virus

Hospital ships, augmentation of Army Medical Department, post-war influenza research and pandemic preparation efforts

Hospital ships, calling up of reserve forces/National guard/UAMTRs to augment civilian medical care and relief efforts, COVID-19 vaccine development