Preliminary figures from the latest influenza season, fall 2019 to spring 2020, showed between 24,000 and 62,000 people in the U.S. died from the flu. In comparison to the new coronavirus, more than 100,000 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 since it was first detected in the U.S. in January through the end of June. While there are similarities between the new coronavirus and the flu, there are significant differences as well.