The CDC thinks it is similar enough to "just the flu" that they have decided to implement and continue to follow influenza protocols.
The flu causes pandemics. The flu is highly contagious. The flu makes many people gravely ill. The flu kills many people. The flu overwhelms hospital capacity. it appears very similar to a moderately bad flu year so far.
The only differences seem to be that the flu does not shut down the economy, cause mass hysteria or give the government special powers.
I still like this paper to put the flu in context:
Trends in Recorded Influenza Mortality: United States, 1900–2004