The perfect storm: An unseasonably early RSV annual epidemic, a severe annual flu epidemic, and a smoldering COVID-19 pandemic

Article Figures & Data

TABLE 1

Comparing 1918 influenza pandemic, AIDS worldwide epidemic, and COVID-19 pandemic

	1918 Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic	AIDS epidemic (cumulative, ongoing since 1981)	COVID pandemic (ongoing)
World population	1.8 billion	7.8 billion	7.8 billion
Number of deaths	50 million	40.1 million	6.9 million
Percent deaths	2.5%	0.5%	0.9%
Duration	2 years	42 years	3 years
Epidemic curve	“W”: young adults and extremes of age	Inverted “U”: young adults	“U”: extremes of age
Number infected	500 million	84 million	670 million
Percent infected	30%	1.1%	8.6%