There have been pandemics throughout the course of human history; they
have savaged countries, undermined empires and killed countless
individuals - often with drastic and unexpected consequences for the
survivors. Life After COVID-19 investigates past epidemics and their
aftermath, seeking to draw parallels with the world of today and examine
how the world could look when this new contagion has finally receded.
Author Bob Gordon starts by studying the Black Death (1347-1351), a
bubonic plague pandemic that killed a third of Europe's population, and
traces its periodic re-emergence over the course of several centuries
including, famously, in London in 1665-1666. He goes on to look at how
Napoleon's imperial ambitions were laid waste by yellow fever in Saint
Domingue and typhus in Russia. Next 'King Cholera', the bane of the 19th
century, is considered. A disease of immigration, it stalked across
North America for decades causing untold horror. A century ago, the
Spanish influenza pandemic ravaged a world already reeling after four
years of conflict. Studying the course and aftermath of this disastrous
pandemic offers the greatest insights into how a future COVID-19 endemic
world might look. Recent pandemics mercifully averted, such as SARS,
MERS and ebola, are also considered.
The final chapters look at the current pandemic, its etiology and
symptomatology. The current state of the search for therapeutics and
vaccines is examined, while the aftershocks of COVID-19 are considered
in a variety of fields - including the impact on retailers, the
entertainment industry, airline travel, education and more.
