US COVID-19 Deaths Surpass Spanish Flu Death Toll

Cumulative COVID-19 Deaths Reach 675,446... 1 Million Less Than 100 Years Ago Spanish Flu Deaths 675,000
Vaccination Can Reduce COVID-19 Deaths

[Asia Economy International Department Reporter] Major foreign news agencies including AP reported on the 20th (local time) that the number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States has surpassed the number of deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918.

According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as of this date, the cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States is 675,446, exceeding the estimated 675,000 deaths during the Spanish flu pandemic.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Regarding this, Dr. Eric Topol, founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in the U.S., which studies variant viruses, said, "It is painful that there are still many deaths despite modern medicine," adding, "In 1918, there were no ventilators or vaccines."

There are also criticisms that simply comparing the death tolls of the two diseases is problematic because the U.S. population has increased about threefold compared to 100 years ago.

Bloomberg explained that during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, mainly young people were victims, but with COVID-19, the majority of deaths were among the elderly aged 65 and over. Furthermore, it analyzed that while most of the damage from the Spanish flu occurred within 14 to 15 weeks, the damage from COVID-19 has been more prolonged.

Experts expressed concerns that COVID-19 might not completely disappear from our society like the Spanish flu. Instead, they predicted that through vaccination and repeated infections, human immunity could strengthen, potentially weakening the COVID-19 virus.

Rustam Antia, a biologist at Emory University, said, "We hope (COVID-19) becomes like a common cold, but we cannot guarantee this," presenting an optimistic scenario that such a change could occur over several years.

Foreign media reported that the number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. is expected to increase further. According to a prediction model from the University of Washington, about 100,000 additional COVID-19 deaths are expected by January 1 of next year, bringing the cumulative death toll to approximately 776,000.

Experts emphasized that vaccination is necessary to reduce COVID-19 deaths.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who did not complete vaccination this spring and summer were over 10 times more likely to be hospitalized and had an 11 times higher mortality rate compared to those who completed vaccination.

Dr. Verda Hidalgo, an epidemiologist at the University of Alabama, pointed out, "Too much misinformation has fueled some people's distrust of vaccines," adding, "Their deaths were absolutely preventable."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.