A Google search with “coronavirus” yielded 3,550,000,000 results on March 3 and
9,440,000,000 results on March 14. Conversely, “influenza” attracted 30- to 60-fold less
attention although this season it has caused so far about 100-fold more deaths globally
than coronavirus.
First off, I am not sure how to comprehend those numbers. Back in the day a "result" was a page. What is that today? Are there really $9bn+ pages of useful content that mentions coronavirus? The number seems a bit arbitrary...
Second, the major issue with comparing flu deaths and coronavirus deaths is time. We have only known about covid-19 for a handful of months. The flu in all its forms has been with us for millennia. You simply cannot compare the two. For me this bit throws the credibility of the paper out the window.
Second, the major issue with comparing flu deaths and coronavirus deaths is time. We have only known about covid-19 for a handful of months. The flu in all its forms has been with us for millennia. You simply cannot compare the two. For me this bit throws the credibility of the paper out the window.