While America stresses over the coronavirus, the flu has quietly killed 10,000 in the U.S. so far this influenza season.
At least 19 million people have come down with the flu in the U.S. with 180,000 ending up in the hospital, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The flu season, which started in September and can run until May, is currently at its peak and poses a greater health threat to the U.S. than the new coronavirus, physicians say. The new virus, which first emerged in Wuhan, China, on Dec. 31, has sickened roughly 17,400 and killed 362 people mostly in that country as of Monday morning.
- The flu remains a threat to U.S. public health.
- This flu season alone has sickened at least 19 million across the U.S. and led to 10,000 deaths and 180,000 hospitalizations.
- Roughly a dozen cases of the deadly coronavirus have been identified in the U.S., though the number has mushroomed across its outbreak zone in China.
“In the U.S., it’s really a fear based on media and this being something new,” Dr. Jennifer Lighter, hospital epidemiologist at NYU Langone Health, said of the new coronavirus. “When in reality, people can take measures to protect themselves against the flu, which is here and prevalent and has already killed 10,000 people.”
Paul Plante says
CDC statistics posted as of April 17, 2020 for week ending 4/11/2020:
COVID-19 deaths: 4,811
Pneumonia deaths: 1,947
Flu deaths: 343
Population: 327,167,434
NOTE:
COVID deaths are listed with confirmed or presumed COVID-19, coded to ICD–10 code U07.1
Presumed COVID is not COVID, but nonetheless is counted as COVID.
Pneumonia death counts exclude pneumonia deaths involving influenza.
Influenza death counts include deaths with pneumonia or COVID-19 also listed as a cause of death.
Paul Plante says
Can you get the flu and coronavirus together?
It is possible to get coronavirus even if you’ve had the flu.
In fact, one patient tested positive for flu and coronavirus at the same time.
Megan N. Brown, PharmD, RPh
Megan N. Brown, PharmD, RPh, is a public health pharmacist with fellowship training in drug information and health communications.
Posted on March 20, 2020