October 15, 2025- CDC expects the upcoming U.S. fall and winter respiratory disease season will likely have a similar combined number of peak hospitalizations due to COVID-19, influenza, and RSV compared to last season.
Last year’s flu season was among the most severe since 2010, with a hospitalization rate of 127.1 per 100,000 people, according to CDC data. In total, there were at least 47 million illnesses, 21 million healthcare visits, 610,000 hospitalizations and 28,000 flu-related deaths, according to preliminary CDC estimates. CDC’s outlook is based on historical trends, expert opinion, and scenario modeling results.