The differences between flu and COVID

Someone I know, who generally follows CDC guidelines and got vaxxed with boosters, got COVID. She is sure she got it from eating in a restaurant with a group because that's the only indoor place she went without a mask. She if fortunate to have gotten a mild case. And yet she is determined to eat in restaurants again.

When I asked if she was concerned about transmitting to people who might have pre-existing conditions and would likely not fare as well, she wondered if the risk was compared to the flu. This surprised me since that has been a common refrain from COVID deniers all along. So here is a CDC article on that comparison, a few excerpts below. 

"COVID-19 spreads more easily than flu. [...] The virus that causes COVID-19 is generally more contagious than flu viruses. [...] Compared to flu, COVID-19 can cause more serious illnesses in some people. [...] Serious COVID-19 illness resulting in hospitalization and death can occur even in healthy people. [...] COVID-19 can also take longer before people show symptoms, and people can remain contagious for longer periods of time. [...] If a person has COVID-19, it could take them longer to experience symptoms than if they have flu. [...]  Also, COVID-19 has been observed to have more superspreading events than flu."

And this is critical:

"Post-COVID Conditions are a range of symptoms that can last weeks or months after first being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 or can appear weeks after infection. Long COVID can happen to anyone who has had COVID-19, even if their illness was mild, or if they had no symptoms."

Then there's this comparison of death rates:

"The COVID-19 situation continues to change, sometimes rapidly. Doctors and scientists are working to estimate the mortality rate of COVID-19. At present, it is thought to be substantially higher (possibly 10 times or more) than that of most strains of the flu."

This article citing CDC data:

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in the US there were 1.8 deaths from flu per 100 000 population between 1999 and 2019. The estimated death rate from covid was 217.54 per 100 000 in the US and 206.73 per 100 000 in the UK."

According to this article, in the US as of August 2022:

 "COVID 1,039,836. Flu 12,442."