The number of deaths from seasonal flu in the U.S. this winter has surpassed the number of fatalities caused by COVID-19 for the first time in the past five years.
This was reported by Bloomberg, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health.
This winter, the flu has proven to be more deadly than COVID-19 in the U.S. For the first time in five years, a seasonal illness has overtaken the pandemic virus, the report states.
According to Bloomberg, the predominant flu strains in the U.S. this season are H1N1 and H3N2, with the latter known for causing more severe illness.
Since the widespread outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, the virus has claimed nearly 42 times more lives in the U.S. than the flu. However, preliminary CDC data indicate that this trend is shifting in 2025.
Since October 2024, at least 29 million flu cases have been recorded in the U.S., with 370,000 hospitalizations and 16,000 deaths.
Experts attribute the decline in COVID-19 mortality to acquired immunity—both from vaccination and previous infections. Additionally, the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to milder complications.
