The question from there is whether that reflects upon the relative deadliness of the virus, the advances in health care and mitigation over the past 100 years, or some combination of both (and which is more responsible). The rapid production of vaccines, in particular, is something that would have been largely unfathomable a century ago. (The first flu vaccine would not even be developed until 1942.) It seems evident that without vaccines, we would be in a much-deadlier situation right now, particularly given the rise of the delta variant.

Source: Washington Post September 16, 2021 19:36 UTC