In the May 27th issue of the Detroit Free Press, Mitch Albom made this statement about COVID-19 deaths: “The first American casualty was in February. The 100,000th before the end of May. That makes this coronavirus the fastest killer in U.S. history.”
It is truly terrible that the virus caused more than 100,000 deaths however Albom’s comment on it being the deadliest is factually inaccurate.
The Spanish Flu (1918–1919) killed 675,000 in 15 months or an average of 45,000 people per month, the equivalent of 180,000 in four months and equates to over 2,000,000 deaths adjusted for today’s population.
In Michigan, more than 15,000 people died of influenza between October 1918 and April 1919 (more than 2000 deaths a month) the equivalent of 50,000 people based on the state’s current population.
Correcting this error will not ease the pain of lives lost, but it is important to report correct facts and not attempt to mislead readers

Tom Breneiser
Independence Township