Flu season in NC is serious, but COVID still causes many more deaths

In North Carolina this autumn, 78 people, including two children, have died of the flu.

While that number is tragic, it falls well short of the number of deaths from COVID-19 during the same time period. For comparison, 78 people died from COVID-19 during just the first week of flu season, Oct. 8-14.

In flu season to date, 521 people have died from COVID-19 in North Carolina, or six times the number of flu deaths.

As the weather gets colder and respiratory infections circulate, cases of both are expected to climb, and some have returned to masking indoors for protection.

"Now the masks are off and we're out in the community. It's a holiday season. We're mixing with family and loved ones from other areas and mixing all of those different virus, so you will see more illness," said UNC Health Rex Chief Medical Officer Dr. Linda Butler.

The number of COVID cases reported to the state and the amount of virus particles detected in wastewater last week were both up by 13% from the week before, while the number of people hospitalized with COVID was up 8%. Almost 5% of visits to North Carolina hospital emergency departments last week were people with COVID-like symptoms, and 709 people were admitted to hospitals statewide with COVID.

One in every seven tests given by medical professionals is returning positive for COVID right now. That does not include self tests or home tests.

Still, Dr. David Wohl, infectious disease specialist at UNC, says a surge like last winter doesn’t seem likely.

"We built up that – call it what you will: herd immunity, community immunity, immunity, natural infection immunity, or vaccine immunity. Added all together, we have more immunity," he said, "and that means we have more protection from very serious disease."