Flu deaths may have surpassed COVID deaths nationwide for first time since start of pandemic, early CDC data suggests
According to weekly figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first time people died of the flu in the United States since the pandemic have compared to Covid-19 on January 25 as of Covid-19 on January 25.
Nearly 1.7% of all deaths nationwide were attributed to the flu in the week ended January 25, while approximately 1.5% were the result of Covid-19. CDC data. In this season Recording wave Influenza infection.
Some CDC data suggest that the death toll from flu may have reached as high as 2% in the week ended February 1, which also surpasses the national Covid-19 mortality rate, which holds about 1.5% . More complete data is expected to be released on Friday.
In 22 states influenza In the first five weeks of 2025, the death toll has exceeded the death toll of a shared 19-year-old.
The gap between the flu and 199 deaths is in California, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and Wyoming, where the percentage of deaths per week is at least twice as high as Covid-19.
Health officials track The percentage of weekly deaths is an early indicator of the trend of influenza and 199 deaths, as all deaths can take weeks to confirm and calculate.
Agent modeler estimate So far this season, 13,000 to 65,000 flu deaths have occurred, exceeding all flu levels Last season.
This is also higher than the range of 18,000 to 31,000 deaths in Covid-19 compared to the CDC estimate This winter has happened.
The Covid-19 wave this winter is smaller than the previous virus wave, measured in both the emergency room and during hospitalization.
Compared with the previous waves Elderly Who is more susceptible to severe illness?
By contrast, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracked climbing flu activity, some of the highest speeds since the 2009 swine flu pandemic. In 33 states and the District of Columbia, the CDC level is “very high”. explain On Friday.
CDC data suggest that influenza vaccination lags behind certain age groups, especially Among children. In the U.S., less than 45% of children have been vaccinated with the flu vaccine, down more than 58% from this time of mid-2020.
“The most important thing is that anyone who has not received the flu vaccine this season should get vaccinated immediately. Flu activity remains elevated, and Continue to increase nationwide.”
Several factors may affect flu activity in the United States, he said, including which flu viruses are circulating and people’s immunity from previous infections and vaccinations.
“While flu activity and the severity of the flu season cannot be predicted and will vary from season to season, flu activity is expected to rise and increase at this time of year,” Prince said.
Contributed to this report.
