Outcomes are worse. While we had a pandemic of flu last year (really!) the death rate among those hospitalized with pneumonia was something like 10%. This one is 14% among some groups, and not just those sick enough to be hospitalized. Those stats are for the elderly (who also matter). Its a similar multiplier for other age groups.

stats: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2017-2018.ht...