COVID-19 in the USA by the numbers: About as infectious as the flu, but 10-13 times more deadly in the first two years of the pandemic

Deaths 2020:  346,050

Deaths 2021:  477,867

 

Cases 2020: 20.0m

Cases 2021: 34.7m

 

Case fatality rate 2020: 1.73%

Case fatality rate 2021: 1.38%

 

Case prevalence 2020:   6.1% of 328m population

Case prevalence 2021: 10.4% of 332m population

 

Typical annual prevalence of influenza: 8% of population (9.2% in the previous decade)

Typical annual deaths from influenza: 36,000