Another Pandemic: Flu Cases Surge In US, Over 29M Infected; Has Flu Deaths Surpassed COVID-19 Victims?

Another pandemic? Seasonal flu surpasses COVID-19 in U.S. deaths for the first time in 5 years. Experts urge flu vaccinations, hygiene practices, and public health measures.

US Flu Cases News: Is United States heading towards another COVID-like pandemic? In the last few weeks, the country has reported a sudden surge in flu cases. Speaking to the media, officials said, "For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began, influenza has overtaken Covid-19 as the deadlier virus in the US this winter."

According to the reports, the deadliest COVID-19 outbreak has killed nearly 42 times more people than the flu since early 2020. Preliminary data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that 2025 is emerging as a pivotal year for influenza. The CDC estimates that since October 2024, influenza has infected at least 29 million people, led to 370,000 hospitalizations, and caused 16,000 deaths.

Why the Flu is Deadlier This Year In The United States

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the seasonal flu has caused more deaths than COVID-19 during the most recent winter season. "While deaths due to COVID-19 virus infection have seen a sharp decline in the recent times (due to vaccines), flu-related deaths unexpectedly has surge to new levels.

There are several contributing factors to this sudden spike in flu cases, some of these include:

1. Lower Immunity Levels: During the COVID lockdown period, exposure to the flu virus was minimal due to the lockdowns and mask mandate. However, when things came back to normal people started falling ill due to a drop in their natural immune levels
2. Vaccine Hesitancy: Many people are scared of vaccine-related side effects. In a recent data, the CDC has revealed that flu vaccine uptake this year is lower than expected, which increases the risk of severe flu outbreaks.
3. Mutating Flu Strains: The flu virus constantly evolves. This year, some circulating strains are more virulent, leading to higher hospitalization and mortality rates.

Influenza has surpassed COVID as the deadliest respiratory illness in California in the US, prompting hospitals to struggle with overwhelming patient numbers amid a surge in flu cases. The CDC said it has classified the season as highly severe for all age groups for the first time since 2017-18.