While the World Worries About Coronavirus, Flu Has Killed More Than 10,000 in the US

19 million people have fallen ill.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 19 million people have contracted the flu in the US, and 180,000 have ended up in hospital. Of these, more than 10,000 people have already died from the flu. This is reported by CNBC.

Doctors say the flu season, which began in September and may last until May, is currently peaking and poses a greater threat to the American population than the new coronavirus. 

Jennifer Lighter
epidemiologist at NYU Langone Health hospital

In the US, this is indeed a fear based on the media, and this is something new (coronavirus — ed.)... When in fact people can take measures to protect themselves from the flu, which is widespread here and has already killed 10,000 people.

At the same time, the coronavirus outbreak is still considered more deadly than the flu. According to representatives of global health authorities, about 2% of those infected have died from the coronavirus, while the mortality rate from the flu in the US is 0.095%. According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 million people will fall ill with the flu this season.

Recently, a flu epidemic was declared in Dnipropetrovsk Region. Earlier, nine Kyiv schools suspended classes due to flu. One of them was completely closed for quarantine.

Also yesterday China reported an outbreak of the deadly avian flu H5N1. It is more dangerous to humans than the new coronavirus, whose outbreak China is also currently fighting. The mortality rate for people from H5N1 is 50%.