I know there are a few long time MSers out there that went through it.

I was just starting then so it didn't impact my shopping because I was just starting and didn't have that many shops anyway. And I and my parents were 10 years younger so I wasn't concerned about getting it than now. My parents are elderly now and in the group most likely to not recover.

I also remember 2009 as the year that my regular job cut my hours so mystery shopping was a lifesaver.

If MS was a lifesaver then, then that's good news.

I remember hearing of reports of H1N1, but not like the Coronavirus now.

It didn't affect me at all. It was not nearly as scary as CoVid-19 is. I'm much more cautious now!

Agreed, but social media has grown exponentially since then.

@bestofbothworlds wrote:

It didn't affect me at all. It was not nearly as scary as CoVid-19 is. I'm much more cautious now!

Were you MSing back then?

H1N1 was less deadly and impacted more children who had not had previous somewhat related annual flu vaccines. Impact was mostly mild and recovery fairly fast. The first cases showed up in April 2009 and a vaccine was ready by December 2009. I am staying away from the political situation of preparedness then versus now.

Research is finding out more and more about COVID-19. An infected person may show symptoms 2 to 10 days after exposure and carry it in their respiratory system for weeks. In one case it was found 37 days after initial exposure while the median for still carrying the virus is 20 days. Other research is finding that even those who have recovered are demonstrating damage to their respiratory system that it is too early to tell if the damage is going to be permanent. In theory, at least, once you have had it you should not be able to get it again--that is the whole theory of vaccinations.

I did not worry at all about H1N1 because for decades I have gotten each year's flu shot and for the past couple of decades have kept my pneumonia shots up to date. COVID-19 apparently is not deterred or lightened by current or past flu shots.

@Flash wrote:

H1N1 was less deadly and impacted more children who had not had previous somewhat related annual flu vaccines. Impact was mostly mild and recovery fairly fast. The first cases showed up in April 2009 and a vaccine was ready by December 2009. I am staying away from the political situation of preparedness then versus now.

Research is finding out more and more about COVID-19. An infected person may show symptoms 2 to 10 days after exposure and carry it in their respiratory system for weeks. In one case it was found 37 days after initial exposure while the median for still carrying the virus is 20 days. Other research is finding that even those who have recovered are demonstrating damage to their respiratory system that it is too early to tell if the damage is going to be permanent. In theory, at least, once you have had it you should not be able to get it again--that is the whole theory of vaccinations.

I did not worry at all about H1N1 because for decades I have gotten each year's flu shot and for the past couple of decades have kept my pneumonia shots up to date. COVID-19 apparently is not deterred or lightened by current or past flu shots.

Understood, but you were MSing then, right? Did it impact your MSing business?

Yes, I was ms-ing in 2009 and also travelling a good deal for my full time job, nslinhar.

It did not affect my ms projects at all. H1N1 seemed more like a worse version of the flu and there was lots of advance warning and preparation in the months before it hit. When it hit, it was not as bad as predicted (still bad).

The current outbreak of covid19 is very different: No warning, no preparation, no coordination, no tests for those who need them, a new--"novel"--virus with almost no knowledge of how it works to sicken an individual or a society, etc. As a result public officials are uncertain what to do, and could not really make definitive recommendations in the NYC metro area until late last week. Mass closures are the rule here now, which is affecting retail, dining/food services, and air travel. Museums, libraries, Broadway theater, concert and sports venues--all closed. Some restaurants and retail stores are closed. Even our local NYC CBS TV News is being broadcast to us from Los Angeles(!)--because the CBS building has been shut down for a week due to coronavirus diagnoses in employees there. Churches are cancelling services and closing their doors. (Edited to add that last sentence.)

H1N1 did not shut down much of anything from I recall. It was business as usual.

This month I was able to shop the first few days, but not since then as so much is shut down. I have no idea what will happen in April and after. Today officials are saying closures and other precautions may be the situation until this Fall.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2020 03:38AM by Susan L..

@nslinhar wrote:

Understood, but you were MSing then, right? Did it impact your MSing business?

It was completely business as usual. Much more impactful was the recession/depression that was causing businesses to fail or cut back expenses to try to stay alive.

@Flash wrote:

@nslinhar wrote:

Understood, but you were MSing then, right? Did it impact your MSing business?

It was completely business as usual. Much more impactful was the recession/depression that was causing businesses to fail or cut back expenses to try to stay alive.

Exactly. I was full time MS from 1999 to 2015, and I don't even remember any issues with H1N1.

@SoCalMama wrote:

@Flash wrote:

@nslinhar wrote:

Understood, but you were MSing then, right? Did it impact your MSing business?

It was completely business as usual. Much more impactful was the recession/depression that was causing businesses to fail or cut back expenses to try to stay alive.

Exactly. I was full time MS from 1999 to 2015, and I don't even remember any issues with H1N1.

Same here. When I look at my MS balance sheets from those years it was business as usual.

It's really strange. Even though H1N1 was designated as a pandemic, there was not nearly as much attention on it as currently on coronaviris. There definitely weren't all the business closures we are seeing today. At my day job, Human Resources wrote a few policies to help an employee with H1N1 but no cases were reported among our employees. I didn't stock up on groceries, continued to go to the office, continued to mystery shop, and lived my life exactly as I did when there was not a health emergency. So did everyone I knew.

On April 15, 2009, the first infection was identified in California, according to the CDC, and less than two weeks later, April 26, 2009, a US public health emergency was declared, one day after the World Health Organization had declared a public health emergency. On Nov. 12, 2009, the CDC published a report that estimated there had been between 14 million and 34 million H1N1 cases between April 17 and Oct. 17, 2009, and 2,500 to 6,000 H1N1-related deaths. The H1N1 2009 flu pandemic ultimately killed 12,000 Americans between April 12, 2009, to April 10, 2010 according to CDC estimates. The number of cases totaled an estimated 60.8 million people.

[www.healthline.com]

The site has stats and information about previous pandemics. H1N1 was treatable with existing antivirals, was most dangerous to those under 20 and had an overall mortality rate much lower than seasonal flu. About a billion people get seasonal flu each year despite the availability of flu shots.

In the greater scheme of things, H1N1 was a blip rather than a bomb. It was not a concern to me because no family members were in the age range most likely to be impacted and even if we got it, it was less dangerous than a normal seasonal flu.

My MS was not at all influenced in 2009.