Did we turn the page a little too quickly?
We all want to believe it’s all in the past, don’t we? Masks gathering dust at the back of drawers, forgotten exit permits… It’s only human. Since the public health emergency officially ended in the United States in 2023, a sense of a return to normal has set in. And in a way, that’s a good thing.
However, the reality is more nuanced—even a bit concerning—if you scratch beneath the surface. The virus hasn’t simply vanished just because we’ve decided to stop talking about it on the 8 p.m. news. It’s circulating. Still. Always. And unfortunately, it continues to wreak considerable havoc on the healthcare system—a far cry from the common misconception that the pandemic is completely over.
An Annual Toll That Remains Heavy: The Current State of Affairs
So, where do we really stand? Experts are now using a somewhat technical term to describe the situation: the disease has become endemic. Basically, this means it’s constantly present—a bit like a bad flu that never really goes away, but more severe.
A very serious study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, sets the record straight. Researchers examined the period from 2022 to 2024. The verdict? COVID-19 is responsible for approximately 100,000 deaths per year in the United States. That’s no small number. We’re also talking about tens of millions of infections each year. Just imagine the scale of it.
And that’s not all. The hospital system still has to manage nearly one million annual hospitalizations related to the virus, not to mention the millions of doctor’s visits that add to the burden. Granted, let’s be honest, these numbers are well below the terrifying peaks of 2020 and 2021. But—and this is a big but—they remain well above those of most other infectious diseases. COVID-19 therefore remains one of the leading causes of viral mortality. Why? Probably because of its never-ending circulation and acquired immunity that, unfortunately, wanes over time.
Our Elders on the Front Lines: A Blatant Inequality
To fully understand what’s at stake, researchers have pored over hospital surveillance data. According to analyses by the CDC (the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), reported notably by Gizmodo, the findings are indisputable. Brace yourselves: people over 65 make up less than 20% of the U.S. population. Mathematically speaking, they’re a minority.
Yet they’re the ones paying the heaviest price. They account for nearly half of all reported infections. Worse still, they make up about two-thirds of hospitalizations. And the saddest statistic? More than 80% of deaths are attributed to them. That’s staggering.
Why such a harsh turn of fate? It’s largely biological. With age, the immune system becomes a bit sluggish, less responsive. The response to vaccines also diminishes over time—it’s inevitable. Add to that the fact that older adults are more likely to have chronic conditions, which greatly increases their risk of severe illness. Data also show that this burden remained virtually unchanged between 2023 and 2024. Despite an overall decline in hospital admissions, mortality rates among seniors have remained stable. The virus is still a very real threat to them.
Conclusion: Don’t let your guard down
So, what should we do? We’re not going to lock ourselves away again—that’s not the point. But we must acknowledge that the impact of COVID-19 remains very real, even if the public health emergency is technically over. Prevention remains our best defense, especially for the most vulnerable.
Vaccine boosters—we can’t say this enough—drastically reduce the risk of ending up in the ER. Antiviral medications are also available and can limit complications, but the problem is that they must be taken very soon after infection. Too many patients arrive too late or don’t have access to them, particularly in senior care facilities where vaccination coverage is sometimes… let’s say, incomplete.
Ultimately, simple measures like better ventilation or rapid isolation when in doubt can make all the difference. It’s no longer an acute crisis, that’s true, but it’s an ongoing battle. With a little common sense and vigilance, we can protect those who need it most.
The Invisible Epidemic: Why COVID-19 Still Kills 100,000 People a Year
This content was created with the help of AI.
