The AFP tally of the death toll is only provisional, but it provides a reference point for comparing the new coronavirus with that of other viruses, past and present. In 2009, the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, caused a global pandemic and left an official death toll of 18,500. Flu epidemicsThe Covid-19 toll is often compared to that of deadly seasonal flu, though the latter rarely makes the headlines. This treatment has helped bring down the death toll from its peak in 2004 of 1.7 million deaths to 690,000 in 2009, according to Unaids. The hepatitis B and C viruses also have a high death toll, killing some 1.3 million people every year, most often in poor countries.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 28, 2020 02:48 UTC