It is difficult to say, however, whether the scare is more from its publicity than from the virus itself. A pandemic of similar virulence that lasted from 2009 to 2010 was H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu. H1N1 originated from Mexico (reportedly from pigs) while the new Covid-19 originated in Wuhan, China (reportedly from bats). But H1N1 virus lasted nearly one and a half years; Covid-19 started in December 2019. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out --Because I was not a trade unionist.

Source: Dhaka Tribune March 18, 2020 12:45 UTC