The United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that from October 1, 2019 through March 14, 2020, there have been in the USA:
• 38,000,000 - 54,000,000 cases of influenza, resulting in,
• 17,000,000 - 25,000,000 medical visits, leading to,
• 390,000 - 710,000 hospitalizations, and,
• 23,000 - 59,000 deaths.
The portion of these events occurring in 3 of the total 5 1/2 months involved in these estimates — that is, the portion occurring from mid-December, 2019 through March 14, 2020 — has coincided with the period in which COVID-19 is said to have been spreading.
A little further pertinent data: Flu symptoms appear within 1 - 4 days, and contagion is possible up to 5 - 7 days after becoming symptomatic.
Although no one seems willing to go on record making authoritative statements on the subject, COVID-19 is believed to have a contagion persistence of from 1 - 37 days, with a (pre-symptomatic) incubation period of 1 - 14 days and a high percentage of infections producing no symptoms or very minor, typically-ignored symptoms. This means that COVID ...