Comparing mortalities of the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and of the 1918 –19 winter pandemic influenza wave in the USA

It has been argued that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality rates exceed those from the influenza pandemic in 1918 –19,1 but comparisons can be misleading unless marked differences in age-specific mortality2 and changes in population age structure in the past century3 are taken into account. The need for application of fundamental epidemiological approaches in understanding COVID-19 has also been recognized.4
Source: International Journal of Epidemiology - Category: Epidemiology Source Type: research