Per fatality, the number of life-years lost is far lower for covid-19 than it was for the 2009 H1N1. In terms of life-years the latter may have been as severe in the U.S. as the 1968 Hong Kong flu.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Years_of_…
statnews.com/2019/06/11/h1n…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Years_of_…
statnews.com/2019/06/11/h1n…
Older people have weaker immune systems & more comorbidities, so tend to succumb disproportionately to pandemics. Covid-19 is an extreme example because 97-99% of the time it kills only people with comorbidities.
An exception, as with 2009 H1N1, happens when the older population experienced a similar virus in their younger years, gaining partial immunity. In that case young people disproportionately suffer and die, and far more years of life are lost per fatality.
Age profile in the first year of 2009 H1N1 deaths:
Ages Confirmed Estimation ranges
0–17 years 1282 (912–1883)
18–64 years 9565 (6,803–14,043)
65+ years 1621 (1153–2380)
academic.oup.com/cid/article/52…
Ages Confirmed Estimation ranges
0–17 years 1282 (912–1883)
18–64 years 9565 (6,803–14,043)
65+ years 1621 (1153–2380)
academic.oup.com/cid/article/52…
Covid-19 is very likely to kill more Americans than 2009 H1N1. Most are predicting it will kill far more people, and they are estimating its severity in those terms. I however doubt that it will have such higher fatalities that it will cost more years of life than 2009 H1N1 did.
