4 ms·

> years of hearing it was "just a flu" "Just a flu" was always bullshit on two fronts: influenza is a terrible disease that has killed millions, and everyone s

> years of hearing it was "just a flu" "Just a flu" was always bullshit on two fronts: influenza is a terrible disease that has killed millions, and everyone serious knew COVID was worse. But of course: "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie."

deleted 4y ago
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goatlover 4y ago
Wait, how has Covid been worse than Influenza? Infuenza killed around 50 million people in 1918. There were far less people back then, and travel was slower.
- azeirah 4y ago
  Influenza is a virus that is constantly mutating. I think the comparison means to the variants colloquially known as "the flu", which are the ones that make you sick for a week or maybe two. They're not comparing to all influenza variants ever.
  - MengerSponge 4y ago
    Exactly. It's still a serious infection! It makes otherwise healthy young adults super ill for a week or two, and kill the elderly and the very young.
- MengerSponge 4y ago
  The original strain of covid was not worse than the deadliest strains of influenza, but "common" circulating strains of influenza kill tens of thousands almost every year. I would say every year, except deaths from influenza plummeted in 2020/2021 due to masking and social distancing. 2020 and 2021 are the root of my claim that Covid is "worse". Millions died of covid during this time, but deaths from influenza dropped to minuscule levels. Some strains of influenza may have gone extinct. Influenza that makes you sick for a week or two isn't a trivial thing either! If you're lucky, you'll just feel awful for a week. If you're unlucky, you're part of the chain of transmission that kills someone's grandparents. Get your flu shots.
- terminatornet 4y ago
  > This finding should be interpreted in the context of a 2 to 3 times greater number of people being hospitalized for COVID-19 vs influenza in the US in this period. > However, the difference in mortality rates between COVID-19 and influenza appears to have decreased since early in the pandemic; death rates among people hospitalized for COVID-19 were 17% to 21% in 2020 vs 6% in this study, while death rates for those hospitalized for influenza were 3.8% in 2020 vs 3.7% in this study. The gap between mortality rates for covid and the flu has decreased, but covid is still clearly worse. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2803749 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2803749
- LorenPechtel 4y ago
  While you're right that then 1918 flu was worse than any variant of Covid that was more than 100 years ago, not now. Covid is now, and considerably more deadly than current flu strains.

deleted 4y ago

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goatlover 4y ago

Wait, how has Covid been worse than Influenza? Infuenza killed around 50 million people in 1918. There were far less people back then, and travel was slower.

azeirah 4y ago
Influenza is a virus that is constantly mutating. I think the comparison means to the variants colloquially known as "the flu", which are the ones that make you sick for a week or maybe two. They're not comparing to all influenza variants ever.
- MengerSponge 4y ago
  Exactly. It's still a serious infection! It makes otherwise healthy young adults super ill for a week or two, and kill the elderly and the very young.
MengerSponge 4y ago
The original strain of covid was not worse than the deadliest strains of influenza, but "common" circulating strains of influenza kill tens of thousands almost every year. I would say every year, except deaths from influenza plummeted in 2020/2021 due to masking and social distancing. 2020 and 2021 are the root of my claim that Covid is "worse". Millions died of covid during this time, but deaths from influenza dropped to minuscule levels. Some strains of influenza may have gone extinct. Influenza that makes you sick for a week or two isn't a trivial thing either! If you're lucky, you'll just feel awful for a week. If you're unlucky, you're part of the chain of transmission that kills someone's grandparents. Get your flu shots.
terminatornet 4y ago
> This finding should be interpreted in the context of a 2 to 3 times greater number of people being hospitalized for COVID-19 vs influenza in the US in this period. > However, the difference in mortality rates between COVID-19 and influenza appears to have decreased since early in the pandemic; death rates among people hospitalized for COVID-19 were 17% to 21% in 2020 vs 6% in this study, while death rates for those hospitalized for influenza were 3.8% in 2020 vs 3.7% in this study. The gap between mortality rates for covid and the flu has decreased, but covid is still clearly worse. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2803749 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2803749
LorenPechtel 4y ago
While you're right that then 1918 flu was worse than any variant of Covid that was more than 100 years ago, not now. Covid is now, and considerably more deadly than current flu strains.