Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Deadliest Outbreak: More Americans Have Died From Covid Than 1918 Flu
Stat: Covid Overtakes 1918 Spanish Flu As Deadliest Disease In U.S. History
The Covid-19 pandemic has become the deadliest disease event in American history, with a death toll surpassing that of the 1918 Spanish flu. The Spanish flu was previously the disease event that caused the biggest loss of life in the United States; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 675,000 Americans died during the 1918 pandemic, in waves of illness that stretched out over roughly two years in this country. According to STAT’s Covid-19 Tracker, Covid deaths stand at more than 675,400. (Branswell, 9/20)
CNBC: Covid Is Officially America's Deadliest Pandemic As U.S. Fatalities Surpass 1918 Flu Estimates
Covid-19 is officially the most deadly outbreak in recent American history, surpassing the estimated U.S. fatalities from the 1918 influenza pandemic, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Reported U.S. deaths due to Covid crossed 675,000 on Monday, and are rising at an average of more than 1,900 fatalities per day, Johns Hopkins data shows. The nation is currently experiencing yet another wave of new infections, fueled by the fast-spreading delta variant. (Lovelace Jr., 9/20)
CNN: US Death Toll From Covid-19 Just Surpassed That Of The 1918 Flu Pandemic
Despite all the scientific and medical advances of the past 103 years, the Covid-19 pandemic has now killed more Americans than the 1918 flu pandemic did. More than 675,000 people in the United States have died from Covid-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. That surpasses the estimated US death toll from the deadliest pandemic of the 20th century. (Yan, 9/20)
