Re:R number for UK below 1 for first time since August
by DanBC on Saturday November 28, 2020 @06:57AM
(#25237046)
> how does this compare to normal flu?
Flu is really serious, which is why we have nationally co-ordinated campaigns of surveillance and monitoring, and then rapid vaccination development, and then programmes to immunise as many vulnerable people as possible.
So far, we think covid-19 is about 10 times worse than flu.
On an average year in the UK flu kills about 10,000 people. So far Covid has killed many more - at least 50,000.
But this is using an inclusive definition for "killed by flu" that will include many people, and it's using a restrictive definition for "killed by covid" that will undercount deaths.
Flu is really serious, which is why we have nationally co-ordinated campaigns of surveillance and monitoring, and then rapid vaccination development, and then programmes to immunise as many vulnerable people as possible.
So far, we think covid-19 is about 10 times worse than flu.
On an average year in the UK flu kills about 10,000 people. So far Covid has killed many more - at least 50,000.
But this is using an inclusive definition for "killed by flu" that will include many people, and it's using a restrictive definition for "killed by covid" that will undercount deaths.
To give an idea of how flu in the UK is counted you can look at this report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/...