H1N1 Swine Flu vs. Covid-19 Statistics
H1N1 Swine Flu 2009-2010[1]
- Americans Infected: 60.8 Million
- Americans Hospitalized: 274,304
- American Deaths: 12,469 (.02% of Americans infected)
- Global Deaths: estimated between 151,700 and 575,400[2]
Was there a panic? No.
Urgency in the media? No.
National Emergency Declared: Yes. President Obama declared a National Emergency on October 24, 2009 after 1,000 US citizens had already died.
What were we told by HHS after the National Emergency Declaration? “People shouldn’t panic.”[3] Yet another 11,469 would die from H1N1.
No travel bans. No quarantines. No large scale shutdowns. No panic.
Why no large scale alarm over 12,469 US deaths? Perhaps it was because were told by HHS and the media not to panic.
Covid-19 Statistics as of March 14, 2020[4]
- US infections: 1,678 confirmed cases
- US deaths: 41
- Global infections: 60,821
- Global deaths: 2,192
Some say it’s deadlier than H1N1. But is it really? The death rates of 2-3% suggested for Covid-19 are based on the known infections. But since relatively few people have been tested those rates may be misleadingly high because there are so many unreported cases. Once the number of infections can more precisely be determined, IMO it is likely this death rate will drop dramatically to a level more consistent with H1N1.
DoubleEagle
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Estimates of 2009 H1N1 Influenza Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths in the United States.
[2] First Global Estimates of 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Mortality Release by CDC
[3] Dr. Nicole Lurie, Assistant Secretary, Health and Human Services October 25, 2009 Today interview on NBC
[4] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention March 14, 2020