Comparing #COVID19 infection fatality rates (IFRs) of #SARSCoV2 with influenza can be problematic. As the piece below touches on, the IFR estimates for seasonal influenza are very poor. Though, another more important reason is that 'influenza' conflates many things.
(1/6) https://twitter.com/GidMK/status/1274942059976122368

There are three major Influenza types infecting humans, A, B and C. Influenza A and B cause seasonal flu, with one winter and one spring epidemic each year, the winter epidemic is generally far more deadly.
(2/6)

Influenza A is more severe than influenza B, and causes the majority of the 3-5 million yearly cases of severe illness with ~500,000 deaths in 'good years'. Though, influenza A itself comprises three lineages currently in circulation that vary in symptom severity.
(3/6)

The three lineages of Influenza A in circulation today are descendants of those that caused the 1918/19 H1N1, 1968/69 H3N2 and 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemics. All three have since become endemic as the population acquired immunity to them.
(4/6)

Flu pandemics are caused by new influenza lineages and lead to dramatic excess mortality. Though, some endemic flu seasons can occasionally be locally severe. The 1951 'endemic' flu season in the UK/Canada caused excess deaths on the 1918/19 scale.
(5/6)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3294686/

Influenza mortality varies greatly depending on lineage and population immunity. #COVID19 is currently in its 'pandemic' phase. Its IFR is higher than those of the 1968/69 and 2009 influenza pandemic lineages, similar to the 1957/59 one and below the 1918/19 strain.
(6/6)