First of all, while the 1993 flu pandemic in Sweden was a severe one, the total number of deaths linked to the flu in 1993 is 566, according to the Swedish Cent

First of all, while the 1993 flu pandemic in Sweden was a severe one, the total number of deaths linked to the flu in 1993 is 566, according to the Swedish Central Statistics Bureau. Second, there was also a massive (and local) financial crisis in Sweden during 1992 and 1993, resulting in mass unemployment. The federal interest rate peaked at ~500% in 1992. While influenza deaths are always tragic, the financial crisis is what most people will remember from those years. Also, the population was roughly 15% smaller in 1993 compared to 2019, not 25%. No matter how you measure it, COVID-19 has proven to be far deadlier over the span of a few months.