[rossdavidh]

Depends on the flu, and on how effective that year's flu vaccine is. The 1918-1919 flu had its highest mortality rate in the young adult range, where it was unquestionably higher than covid-19 (although the lack of PCR tests or equivalent back then make it difficult to arrive at precise numbers infected). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu#Epidemiology_and_p...

[kupiakos]

Comparing modern death rates to the 1919 flu, and to historical smallpox infection, is not useful. Medical technology has come a long way in a century and so average mortality rates have dropped for all diseases.

2019 and 2020 had particularly dangerous flu seasons and were still significantly less deadly than COVID.

[jjk166]

The 2020-2021 flu season was the mildest flu season on record. In the US, there were only about 700 influenza deaths in the 20-21 season, compared to 22,000 in the 19-20 season, and 34,000 in the 18-19 season. Similar trends were seen around the world.

[0] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/flu-has-disappear...

[elzbardico]

Yes, modern technology have improved health care, but also increased the avenues of spread.

[rossdavidh]

2019-20 and 2020-21 were both actually milder flu seasons than normal, I believe you might have been thinking of the 2018-19 flu season?

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/past-seasons.html

Also, the principal advantage modern medicine had in these flu seasons, compared to 1918-1919, was that we had an effective vaccine for the most at-risk population to take, and the most at-risk were not the ones most likely to be out and about working. I've never seen a convincing explanation of why the 1918-1919 flu hit young adults the hardest, but whatever the reason, we're really lucky covid-19 did not work that way.