Given their overlapping symptoms, the seasonal flu and the novel coronavirus COVID-19 seem to lend themselves to an easy comparison. But according to Business Insider, it's not that simple. A new report from two doctors says comparing the death tolls from the flu and COVID-19 can lead to "inaccurate" conclusions. That's because the number of influenza deaths is always an estimation, and the number of deaths from COVID-19 is delayed and likely undercounted. The authors say such conclusions can cause people to underplay the pandemic's threat. During the week of April 14 to 21, there were 15,455 COVID-19 deaths in the US. However, the average number of counted flu deaths during the peak week of influenza seasons from 2013 to 2020 was 752. That's more than a twentyfold difference.
