Covid-19 Mortality Surpasses Spanish Flu Pandemic

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The COVID-19 virus is currently regarded as the worst pandemic in the history of the United States according to the John Hopkins University since its mortality rate topped that of 1918 with more than 670 thousand deaths.

At a time where the United States is still experiencing the Delta variant wave, the death toll has topped 670,000 and is still rising at an average of more than 1,900 causalities per day.  

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 1918 flu killed an estimated 675,000 US citizens in three waves, occurring in the spring of 1918, the fall of 1918, and the winter and spring of 1919. Until recently, it was thought to be United States' most deadly epidemic in recent history.

Howard Markel, a physician and medical historian at the University of Michigan, advises that the 1918 influenza pandemic should not be used as a model for dealing with current pandemics, but rather scientists and researchers should adopt new methods moving forward.

When examining outbreaks or disasters, taking into account population numbers is imperative. The population of the US in 1918 varies from 2021.

In 1918, the US population was less than a third of what it is today, with an estimated 103 million people residing in the country shortly before the 1920s. The United States now has a population of about 330 million people. That implies that one in every 150 Americans died from the 1918 flu, compared to one in every 500 who have died from the COVID-19 virus thus far.

However, the COVID-19 crisis is a tremendous tragedy, when considering the great improvements in scientific knowledge and the failure to fully utilize the vaccines available.

The coronavirus, like the Spanish flu, may never completely vanish from our midst. Instead, experts expect that it will evolve into a minor seasonal virus when human immunity strengthens as a result of vaccination and recurrent infection. How long that will take is unknown.