Author here. That's a mischaracterization of what I said. But yes it is true that overall mortality is similar to the flu. I settled on COVID-19 being 3x as deadly, but that figure is up to debate.
The important thing to understand is the varying risk profiles. The flu kills the very young and very old, whereas COVID-19 primarily kills the very old.
> Does the flu leave bodies in trucks, apartments, and bagged on the streets?
Yes, pandemic flu absolutely does.
> Does the flu kill dozens of workers in meat processing plants every year
Yup. Pandemic flu absolutely would.
> Does the flu take more than ten years of life from the average person it kills?
Could you clarify this point? I don't quite understand what you're saying. The flu takes away more wellbeing-years per death because it kills infants and young children whereas COVID-19 almost never does.