How Many Americans Die From The Flu Each Year? [Infographic]

As flu season gets underway in the United States, the futile debate about whether influenza viruses are deadlier than Covid-19 has already reared its ugly head on social media. Yesterday, President Trump tweeted that many people die from the flu every year, “sometimes over 100,000”. The claim was quickly debunked and Twitter hid the president’s post, marking it with a tag stating that it violated its rules about spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to Covid-19. Up to October 07, the pandemic had claimed approximately 211,000 U.S. lives, a toll that is expected to continue rising steadily over the course of the winter months. So just how wrong was the president and how many Americans actually die from the flu each year?

Seasonal influenza viruses are detected year-round in the United States but they hit the country hardest during the fall and winter months, peaking between December and February. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the 2019-2020 season involved two waves of activity and moderate severity with 38 million people falling ill, 18 million visiting a health care provider, 400,000 patients hospitalized and 22,000 lives lost. The tally is significantly lower than the number quoted by President Trump on Twitter. Over the past decade, even the deadliest flu season had a death toll significantly lower than Trump’s claim with the CDC estimating that 61,000 people died in 2017-2018.

*Click below to enlarge (charted by Statista)