Both HIV and the Spanish Flu killed young people with most of their lives ahead of them. All early loss of life is tragic, but the number of deaths alone isn'

Both HIV and the Spanish Flu killed young people with most of their lives ahead of them. All early loss of life is tragic, but the number of deaths alone isn't the only measure. If you calculate the loss of lifespan, HIV would blow Covid out of the water, because the median age at death would mean ~40 or 50 years of life lost. Covid's median age at death is so high, it's often above a country's life expectancy. It's also worth noting the US population has more than tripled since 1918 and grown by a third since 1990. This isn't meant to downplay Covid's impact, but to make a more nuanced comparison with past pandemics.