Suggest to avoid muddying the waters unnecessarily, you avoid describing COVID-19 as "the flu". "It's just the "flu" was one of the many suspiciously well-distributed talking points that was in use around Feb. March, - hence after Wuhan- in the UK and other places to minimise the risk COVID-19 presented.

For completeness' sake I found this gem from March 14, when my employer - note, *not* my government - was prescient enough to send me into lockdown. This was already too late to prevent my wife catching COVID-19 and having a nasty case, with lingering effects lasting to this day.

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-new-coronavirus-isn-t-like-the-flu-but-they-have-one-big-thing-in-common