Remember the seasonal flu? A very telling comparison.

[mnmoderatedem]

There's really no more stark a way to measure the effect of the measures taken to mitigate COVID than to draw a parallel to the seasonal flu when compared to Corona.


"Some 136 people were hospitalized for the flu between Oct. 1, 2020, and Jan. 16, 2021, and there were 292 deaths involving influenza during that period, the CDC reported. One child has died.

The flu season is far from over — it usually begins in the fall, and peaks between December and February.

But in comparison, 400,000 people were hospitalized for the flu and 22,000 died, including 434 children, during the entire 2019–2020 season, which the CDC described as “severe” for kids 4 years old and younger, and for adults 18-49 years old. "



The drop in seasonal flu cases compared to the normal, could not be more stark. The reason being that obviously the quarantining/ social distancing/ mask wearing had a very profound effect. We have well over half a million deaths and counting, and to compare that figure to what would have happened had we not had those restrictions, should be obvious to even the most hard headed among us.

Drop this reality to those who insist we should have thrown caution to the wind and keep everything open in a mask free society.



https://www.today.com/health/flu-season-2020-2021-flu-activity-historic-lows-mask-wearing-t207131

[mainer]

1. The Covid deniers are using this as evidence Covid doesn't exist

Their logic:

"Where did the flu go? Of course it's still here! All these deaths blamed on Covid are really from the flu!" Because the Deep State is trying to vaccinate us, yada yada yada

[Arkansas Granny]

5. I've heard several people use this argument. Some even go further to claim

that deaths from heart attacks, cancer and other diseases are being counted as covid deaths because hospitals get more money for covid patients. They believe whatever fits their narrative.

[Nay]

6. Yep, heard this from an anti-vaxx acquaintance. 'All the hundreds of thousands of deaths

are all the flu. They're counting every flu death as COVID.'

Just for grins, I told her that the normal flu season has deaths from 15,000 to maybe 50,000, so either:
1) this is one hell of a flu season and we needed to mask up/vax anyway against this godawful flu, or
2) the usual flu season has been minimal because of distancing/masking/shutdowns and the deaths are from something else.

No dice.

I tried again: Look, I said, For years the US has kept a statistic called "Deaths from All Causes." The CDC basically collects all reported deaths (from death certificates) in the US for each week, month and year. The CDC doesn't care what caused the deaths (although it uses the 'cause of death' on the certificate to tabulate who died of heart disease, opiods, etc., for other health stats reasons). If you die, you are in that count. The CDC uses this count to keep an eye on any uncommon increases or decreases in the death rate so they can anticipate problems and track health outcomes in general. The US definitely has an unusual and huge bump up in deaths -- about 450,000 -- and it's not because a whole bunch of people started falling off of ladders. It's COVID.

No dice.

There's no talking to them. Send them to cdc.gov and they refuse to go.

[LisaL]

2. Flu is less infectious than covid.

So covid protections work better against the flu than covid.

[babylonsister]

3. Also, a lot of people got the flu vaccine

because of covid than in 'normal' years. I was one of them; I figured I would do whatever I could to try and stay safe.

[brewens]

4. Many workplaces have told employees if they come to work sick, they are fired. That has to

be making a huge difference. Normally a lot of people just go to work with a cold, even if they have sick leave they could use.