Flu vs. COVID: One has killed 7, the other has killed 3,344 in past few months in NC

As we’re in the midst of a surge in the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re also in the middle of flu season.

The two viruses are often compared to each other by people downplaying the severity of the pandemic.

How do the flu and COVID-19 really compare?

Death rate comparisons between COVID-19 and the flu since October, 2021

• Flu deaths: 7
• COVID deaths: 3,344

That's more than 450 times the number of lives lost to COVID in the same amount of time.

While flu symptoms may be similar to COVID – especially for those who are vaccinated and boosted and who contract omicron – the viruses are very different. Data shows COVID is having far more serious effects on people.

"Most people don't do that poorly with COVID-19. That's not the problem. The problem is that there are so many people who do very poorly with COVID-19," said Dr. David Wohl, an infectious disease specialist at UNC. "So everything we're doing is to circle the wagons around people who are vulnerable."

While omicron is milder, the highly transmissible variant is still affecting many people, especially those who are susceptible to becoming incredibly sick if they catch it.

Record high hospitalizations; record number of people on ventilators since October

Thursday was the 10th day in a row of record high hospitalizations, with over 5,000 people hospitalized with COVID statewide.

Of those hospitalized, 808 are in ICU and 507 are on ventilators.

This means hospital staff are more overloaded than ever. Many mitigation efforts to protect against COVID aren't just to help protect people, but also to prevent hospitals from becoming as overloaded as they currently are.

Flu cases saw their highest recorded numbers this season just as omicron was surging, too. While cases for the flu are higher than last year, the number of instances of the common colds are also up.

This year, flu cases have increased compared to the past two years, when mask-wearing and social distancing practices were more widely-practiced. However, a report released Thursday showed flu cases seem to be decreasing this week.

"That's a signal that our mitigation practices were working really well for all respiratory viruses last year, especially flu," said Wohl.

COVID remains the most common respiratory virus hospital patients are testing for right now, as hospitalizations hit historic pandemic highs.

Getting both the flu vaccine and COVID vaccine are effective, according to Wohl, as well as common practices like mask-wearing, social distancing and hand-washing.

"In an alternative world where there wasn't vaccination, we would be in a world of hurt right now," he says. "But because we have vaccinations and boosting, fewer people are now in our ICU in our hospitals due to COVID-19."