I think your comparison is skewed a tad. First off, your HK flu stats aren't for just 2 or 3 months. It's for the entire time the HK flu was k*****g people. We've only been in this COVD19 p******c for maybe 3 months or so. Also, we have been doing something about it, as you say, we've been social distancing, closing non essential businesses, borders, etc., so our numbers for this p******c might be 10x higher if nothing had been done like the HK flu.

Now, go back to 1918 and check out the stats for the Spanish flu. They estimated between 20m and 40m people died globally from this flu. Yes, the m is for "millions".... And . . . in some areas, they did practice social distancing, masks, and sheltering in place and in those areas the number of cases were much lower including lower death rates. While almost every country was affected at the same time, Australia wasn't hit hard at first because they refused entry when they got word of the Spanish flu. But people complained that they couldn't get imports and goods so after a few months they started allowing entry in their ports and immediately they were hit with the Spanish flu and people started dying.

Again, I am looking for input from the HK flu in the USA for the 1968-69 outbreak. That very much limits it to the USA.

I have zero recollection of any sort of outbreak in the US at that time. For all I know, Canada was spared. If you have some recollection of this event in Canada by all means share.

I've read some articles here and there over the last 20 years on the 1918 p******c. One article said it got so bad that towns in Alaska were walled off and anyone attempting to get in was directed to turn around or be shot dead. As I recall the article was about virologists looking to get samples of the 1918 flu from the buried dead as they were buried in the permafrost.

Chew on that for a minute. Live 1918 v***s coming out of the permafrost.....

Ok, so back to the USA and 1968....anything to share?

Again, I am looking for input from the HK flu in the USA for the 1968-69 outbreak. That very much limits it to the USA.

I have zero recollection of any sort of outbreak in the US at that time. For all I know, Canada was spared. If you have some recollection of this event in Canada by all means share.

I've read some articles here and there over the last 20 years on the 1918 p******c. One article said it got so bad that towns in Alaska were walled off and anyone attempting to get in was directed to turn around or be shot dead. As I recall the article was about virologists looking to get samples of the 1918 flu from the buried dead as they were buried in the permafrost.

Chew on that for a minute. Live 1918 v***s coming out of the permafrost.....

Ok, so back to the USA and 1968....anything to share?

I think your comparison is skewed a tad. First off, your HK flu stats aren't for just 2 or 3 months. It's for the entire time the HK flu was k*****g people. We've only been in this COVD19 p******c for maybe 3 months or so. Also, we have been doing something about it, as you say, we've been social distancing, closing non essential businesses, borders, etc., so our numbers for this p******c might be 10x higher if nothing had been done like the HK flu.

Now, go back to 1918 and check out the stats for the Spanish flu. They estimated between 20m and 40m people died globally from this flu. Yes, the m is for "millions".... And . . . in some areas, they did practice social distancing, masks, and sheltering in place and in those areas the number of cases were much lower including lower death rates. While almost every country was affected at the same time, Australia wasn't hit hard at first because they refused entry when they got word of the Spanish flu. But people complained that they couldn't get imports and goods so after a few months they started allowing entry in their ports and immediately they were hit with the Spanish flu and people started dying.

1968 was a key year in my life, but nothing remarkable about the Hong Kong Flu sticks in my mind. If I or any of my acquaintances caught it then it was certainly not serious enough to remember. Probably "just a flu" if anything.

Regarding live 1918 v***s coming out of the permafrost, that may or may not be a concern. As a former "cryobiologist" I can tell you that preserving biological material successfully by freezing takes attention to preparing the material, cooling it under appropriate temperature/time profiles, storing it at appropriate temperatures (LN2 at -196C is typical for long term storage), then warming with appropriate temperature/time profiles, and then handling it appropriately once thawed. I suspect that v***s trapped in dead bodies buried in the permafrost for over 100 years would have little chance of being "live" as the permafrost thaws. But it would make for a great movie theme.