• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly

2

After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history

3

Current price of silver as of Tuesday, July 14, 2026

1

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly

2

After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history

3

Current price of silver as of Tuesday, July 14, 2026
HealthCoronavirus

COVID-19 will soon surpass the Spanish flu as America’s deadliest pandemic

By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 16, 2021, 11:32 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

As of Wednesday, the deaths of 666,816 people in the United States—including 13,600 just over the past week—have been attributed to COVID-19.

That mounting death count will soon render the COVID-19 pandemic as America’s deadliest.

The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic have already surpassed those from the 1968 flu ( an estimated 100,000). At their current pace, COVID-related deaths will also surpass the 675,000 estimated U.S. deaths caused by the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic—the deadliest in U.S. history—before the end of September.

While deaths attributed to COVID-19 are likely to surpass those from the Spanish flu, it doesn’t mean the coronavirus pandemic is the deadlier of the two: On a per capita basis, the Spanish flu pandemic—caused by the H1N1 Influenza A virus—killed a much higher percentage of the nation than COVID-19. In 1920, the U.S. population stood at 106 million, compared with 331.5 million in 2020.

Because there was no vaccine or antibiotic treatment for the Spanish flu, there was a higher mortality rate than for COVID-19, affecting, according to the CDC, all age groups over age 5. As the CDC writes: “High mortality in healthy people, including those in the 20–40 year age group, was a unique feature of [the 1918] pandemic.”

While COVID-19 will soon become the deadliest pandemic in U.S. history, it won’t come close globally. In fact, it won’t even surpass the 1918 influenza pandemic: Globally, COVID-19 has claimed nearly 4.7 million lives, according to data collected by John Hopkins University, compared with the estimated 50 million killed globally between 1918 and 1919 by the Spanish flu.

We should note that death counts for both the 1918 Spanish flu and the 1968 flu pandemic are rough estimates. The lack of data reporting, in particular amid the Spanish flu, makes pinning down the number of fatalities very challenging.

More health care and Big Pharma coverage from Fortune:

  • India’s Kerala state was a COVID-19 success story. Now the “Kerala model” appears to be faltering
  • Vaccine mandates pick up steam, but few employers say they’ll fire violators
  • The U.K. terminates its COVID vaccine contract with Valneva—wiping out almost half its market cap
  • Delta used this “negative incentive” strategy to get employees vaccinated
  • Its COVID-19 vaccine bogged down in trials, Sanofi to manufacture BioNTech/Pfizer doses

Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.

About the Author
By Lance LambertFormer Real Estate Editor
Twitter icon

Lance Lambert is a former Fortune editor who contributes to the Fortune Analytics newsletter.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Health

Billionaire Richard Branson says copying his 5 a.m. morning routine won’t make you successful—and will just cause ‘more burnouts than breakthroughs’
Successlifestyle
Billionaire Richard Branson says copying his 5 a.m. morning routine won’t make you successful—and will just cause ‘more burnouts than breakthroughs’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 15, 2026
4 hours ago
New experimental Alzheimer’s drug shows potential after study shows slower cognitive decline
HealthAlzheimer's
New experimental Alzheimer’s drug shows potential after study shows slower cognitive decline
By Lauran NeergaardJuly 14, 2026
13 hours ago
A leadership consultant’s warning to managers: Don’t mistake grief for underperformance
Workplace CultureHuman resources
A leadership consultant’s warning to managers: Don’t mistake grief for underperformance
By Mikaela Cohen and HR BrewJuly 14, 2026
15 hours ago
aca
North AmericaHealth Insurance
2.6 million Americans dropped ACA coverage as subsidies expired — fraud or price shock?
By Aparna Soni and The ConversationJuly 14, 2026
16 hours ago
r
CommentaryFDA
Trust in the FDA is collapsing. It’s time to get really transparent about our food and our drugs
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Megan Ranney, Sten Vermund, Patricia Greenstein and Steven TianJuly 14, 2026
16 hours ago
mm
North Americaaging
Washington gerontocracy meets its receipt-check moment: ‘I think we need some transparency’
By Jill Colvin and The Associated PressJuly 14, 2026
19 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
Newsletters
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
By Sydney LakeJuly 14, 2026
18 hours ago
After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
North America
After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 14, 2026
17 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, July 14, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of gold as of July 14, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of July 14, 2026
By Danny BakstJuly 14, 2026
22 hours ago
United States' $39 trillion national debt will mean fewer jobs at lower wages for Gen Z, according to think tank
Economy
United States' $39 trillion national debt will mean fewer jobs at lower wages for Gen Z, according to think tank
By Eleanor PringleJuly 14, 2026
23 hours ago
'He found their weakness. It might have been sex. It might be power': Warren Buffett stunned by Epstein pull as he snubs Gates Foundation
Banking
'He found their weakness. It might have been sex. It might be power': Warren Buffett stunned by Epstein pull as he snubs Gates Foundation
By Josh Funk and The Associated PressJuly 14, 2026
19 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.