With 170,000 Americans Dead, This GOP Senator is Still Saying Seasonal Flu is ‘In Many Cases Deadlier’ Than Coronavirus

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is still claiming that the seasonal flu is “in many cases deadlier” than the coronavirus, even after the United States crossed the grim milestone of 170,000 deaths.

Johnson was interviewed on WTMJ’s The Steve Scaffidi Show last Thursday, during which he detailed his views on the coronavirus pandemic and pushed for the reopening of schools.

“Because of the improving therapies, when you particularly add convalescent plasma, we have a real good possibility of bringing the death rate of Covid down to the seasonal flu,” Johnson said. “We don’t shut down the economy because of the seasonal flu.”

The senator then claimed he was following the science to reach his conclusion regarding the virus — noting that many members of the media along with many governors and other politicians were failing to do so. He added that he believes schools should reopen as long as the sick are isolated from those who are vulnerable.

“The science tells us that in very young children Covid is a less dangerous disease than the seasonal flu,” he said. “Again, we don’t shut down schools because of season flu except in extraordinary circumstances.”

He noted that teachers and faculty would be more vulnerable to the virus and explained that they should be protected, but claimed that students would be better off attending in-person classes.

Johnson told Scaffidi that “we really need to understand the human toll of the economic devastation, and in this case, the toll on young people for missing more class time, the socialization. You know, we’re hearing about domestic violence on the increase.”

“Again, this is not good for our kids not going back to school. So we have to put this all in perspective and realize even though COVID is still a disease that I don’t want to get, by and large young people fare quite well. And seasonal flu is actually in many cases a deadlier virus, if they contract that. And again, we don’t shut down schools because of seasonal flu,” Johnson said.

Listen above via WTMJ.

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