It isn't influenza.
In a given year, influenza kills a few tens of thousands of people (say, 20K to 60K or thereabouts) in the US. Covid-19 has killed 248K people so far in the US, and is still rolling strong.
And we wonder why we are now picking up a million new cases a week.
Except that only a fraction of the Covid deaths are actually from COVID. In my burg alone we've had one suicide and numerous cases of long-term cancer billed as COVID deaths. With the Feds handing out money for COVID deaths, COVID deaths will appear. I spent much of my career overseeing governmental statistics, and I know a stat pad when I see one.
The key to a communicable disease is, as FEMA's emergency management courses teach (I had the full range) is to watch the homeless population. They live in the worst possible conditions, and a high percentage have pre-existing conditions. Yet the homeless populations are not significantly impacted by the current pandemic. If COVID was as bad as the media bills, my county would be burying homeless people in trenches. Instead, none of the area hospitals has had a full ICU in 2020.
As to the million cases a week, my sister-in-law signed up to be tested, then missed her appointment, and still received an official letter saying she tested positive. So long as emergency funding is being paid out, the statistics will achieve what it takes to get the funding.
If they charged local governments $20 for each case of COVID or COVID death, the pandemic would end the next day, regardless of what the disease was doing.
Never trust statistics which are tied to funding, or which are quoted by media outlets selling sensation. In all things, follow the money if you seek the truth.
I'm not saying that COVID doesn't exist, of course. But I know you can't hide from a virus, and I know that a loose cotton face mask won't help keep it contained.
In any case, my group is done with the business. It will be clear sailing once Turkey Day is over.