Pandemics: How Likely is COVID-19 to Kill You Compared to the 1918 Spanish Flu?
In 1918, H1N1, a virus that originated from birds infected at least 500 million people worldwide, killing 675,000 here in the US which is about as many people estimated to have died in the American Civil War. In 2009, a different H1N1 flu is estimated to have infected more than 60 million people and killed more than 12000 in the US. The 2003 SARS coronavirus epidemic which originated from China’s Guangdong province possibly from bats affected 26 countries, infected 8,098 people and killed 774. Currently, Covid-19 coronavirus which originated from China’s Hubei province has infected more than 50,000 people and killed more than 1600, overwhelmingly in China. These viruses hit hard on people older than 60 and those with other health complications but the 1918 Spanish Flu was unique in the fact that it also killed a lot of middle-aged adults 20-40. The US currently has few tested cases but the scare is the community spread (no known contact with known infected individuals) which claimed its first death today in the State of Washington.
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