COVID-19 death toll equals that of the Spanish flu in the US

(NBC) COVID-19 has now killed about as many Americans as the Spanish flu pandemic did—approximately 675,000.

According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the reported number of COVID deaths in the U.S. crossed 675,000 on Monday. Of course, that number is expected to rise as the U.S. averages more than 1,900 deaths per day.

The nation is currently experiencing a wave of new infections, fueled by the fast-spreading Delta variant.

The 1918 flu, however, came in three waves occurring in the spring and fall of 1918 and the winter and spring of 1919.

It was considered America’s most lethal pandemic in recent history up until now.

Experts say a direct side-by-side comparison of raw numbers for each pandemic doesn’t provide all of the contexts considering the vast technological, medical, social and cultural advances over the past century. Not to mention the U.S. population a century ago was just one-third of what it is today, meaning the flu cut a much bigger, more lethal swath through the country.