The parent comment should remind us that regular flu is already pretty bad in its symptoms and in the number who die from it each year. A “bad flu” can be very bad indeed: e.g., 1968, 1957, 1918. [1] Moreover, using excess deaths to quantify COVID-19 vs. regular flu, the numbers are concerning even with all our efforts to contain this coronavirus and avoid overwhelming hospitals. [2]

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza#Pandemics

[2]: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/07/15/tracking...

(The heat map in [2] titled “Weekly estimated excess deaths by age group” shows excess deaths in Europe this year vs. the past three years.)