However, most of the “near deaths’ From flu are secondary pneumonia. We almost lost two kids back in the early 1990s from staph pneumonia: both got sick very quickly and we had to air flight them out to the university hospital.
luckily antibiotics still worked back then, but now there is antibiotic resistance.
Anti-biotics do nothing for flu. In the 2009 H1N1 season, a lot of young people were dying, lot of organ failure as well. Many people hooked up to ECMO machines. I am surprised, as a doctor, you would think antibiotics will help flu. If there is secondary bacterial infection, yes, but cytokine storm or other flu damage will not be helped.