A century ago, an influenza pandemic killed more people than died in World War I. Today, the COVID-19 pandemic has killed more Americans than died in all US wars since 1945. A big difference, however, is that science did not have a vaccine for the influenza virus back then, but several companies and countries today have created vaccines for COVID-19.
A number of wealthy democracies, including the US and the UK, have vaccinated over half their adult populations, and seen a dramatic reduction in the number of new cases and deaths. Other places, such as India, Brazil and parts of Africa,