The documentary History of the Black Death recounts a global pandemic during the Middle Ages that can somewhat be equated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Like COVID-19, the Bubonic Plague originated in one area, spreading globally and leading to the death of millions. The Black Plague started in China, spreading through Europe akin to the COVID-19 that erupted from Wuhan, China. Both plagues spread drastically, causing an alarming rate of infection and deaths and resulting in quarantines and lockdowns. Symptoms of the plague are often discovered within one week of exposure, unlike Coronavirus. Symptoms like fever and headache overlap between COVID-19 and the plague. Another commonality in both pandemics is that they are transmittable from person to person by respiratory droplets. Additionally, the timing for diagnosis and treatment is a critical factor for both conditions, as early treatment increases the chances of recovery.
However, the Black Plague was a bacterial disease that could be treated using antibiotics, in contrast to COVID-19, which is viral and controlled through vaccination. The Bubonic plague was more drastic and less controlled than COVID-19, wiping almost a third of the world’s population at the time. Unlike COVID-19, which spread to all parts of the world and was controlled through multiple methods such as vaccination, the Black Plague only affected Europe, North Africa, and the Near East, causing notable deaths. Moreover, COVID-19 is an airborne disease different from the Black Plague, whose vector of transmission was black rats and fleas (Flash Point History 12:37). A zoonotic infection of the Bubonic plague could be transmitted through flea scratches or bites. Distinct from COVID-19, the plague, if not treated, quickly led to comorbidity of other illnesses such as Meningitis.
Reference
Flash Point History. (2020). History of the Black Death – Full Documentary [Video]. YouTube. Web.