“Public health expert says comparing COVID-19 to ‘the flu’ could be problematic”

David Larsen, associate professor of public health in the Falk College, was quoted in the CNY Central story “Public health expert says comparing COVID-19 to ‘the flu’ could be problematic.” Larsen, an expert on epidemiology and public health, explained the difference between how society should handle the flu versus COVID-19. “The comparison to the quote un quote ‘flu’ is problematic because so much of what we Americans call the flu is not influenza,” Larsen said. Many Americans tend to confuse the common cold for the flu. Instead, true influenza often makes people feel terrible for days.