It’s a Tuesday afternoon, and for most of us, life feels... well, normal again. People are packed into movie theaters, airport security lines are back to being a nightmare, and the phrase "social distancing" feels like a weird fever dream from a decade ago. But walk into a hospital ICU or a long-term care facility, and the vibe changes. Fast. You might find yourself wondering, are people still dying from covid in 2025? The short answer is yes. People are still dying.
But it isn’t 2020 anymore. We aren't seeing the morgue trucks or the terrifying spikes that shut down the global economy. Instead, what we have is a steady, quiet trickle of mortality that mostly hits the people we’ve stopped thinking about. It's a "background noise" pandemic now. That sounds harsh, but it’s the reality of where we are. According to data from the World Health Organization and the CDC, the virus has settled into a predictable, albeit deadly, rhythm.
The Current Death Toll: Why It’s Not Zero
If you look at the raw data, the numbers are actually pretty startling when you stack them up against other causes of death. Even with high levels of population immunity—from both vaccines and previous infections—the virus hasn't just "become a cold."
For most healthy, young-ish people, it basically is a cold. Or a bad flu. You get it, you feel like garbage for four days, you move on. But for a specific slice of the population, the math is different. We’re still seeing thousands of deaths globally every month. It’s not the hundreds of thousands we saw in the dark days of the Delta variant, but it’s enough to keep COVID-19 as a top-ten cause of respiratory death in many countries.
Why? Because the virus keeps changing.
Evolution is a relentless jerk. Variants like the JN.1 descendants and the newer KP.3 strains have become masters at dodging the antibodies we built up last year. You've probably noticed that everyone you know seems to get COVID once every 12 to 18 months now. Most of them survive just fine. But for the elderly—especially those over 75—and the severely immunocompromised, each infection is a roll of the dice. Their bodies just don't have the "reserve" to handle the systemic inflammation the virus kicks off.
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Who Is Actually At Risk Right Now?
Let's get specific. Who are the people filling up those mortality statistics?
It’s almost exclusively the "high-risk" groups, but that term is so broad it almost loses its meaning. To be blunt, it’s grandmas and grandpas. It's people with stage IV cancer. It's the person you see in the grocery store on portable oxygen. For these individuals, the question of are people still dying from covid in 2025 isn't a curiosity—it's a daily threat assessment.
- The Age Factor: Age remains the single biggest predictor of a fatal outcome. Even with five or six shots, an 85-year-old’s immune system is often "senescent"—it’s tired. It doesn’t react fast enough to keep the virus out of the lungs.
- The Vaccine Gap: We have a major problem with "booster fatigue." Hardly anyone is getting the updated annual shots anymore. This creates a window of vulnerability as the virus mutates away from the older vaccine formulas.
- The "Rebound" Deaths: We’re also seeing people survive the initial infection but die a month later from a heart attack or a stroke triggered by the massive inflammation the virus caused. These deaths are often listed as cardiovascular issues, but COVID was the spark.
The Problem With "Mild"
We keep calling these new variants "mild." Honestly, that’s a dangerous word. "Mild" just means it’s less likely to put a healthy 30-year-old in the hospital compared to the original strain from Wuhan. It doesn't mean it's harmless. If you have underlying lung disease or a weakened heart, a "mild" respiratory infection can still lead to secondary pneumonia. And pneumonia is still a killer.
How Doctors Are Treating It Today
The toolkit has changed. Back in 2020, we were guessing. We were putting people on ventilators way too early and using drugs that didn't work. Now, we have a playbook.
Paxlovid is still the heavyweight champion for keeping people out of the morgue. If a high-risk person takes it within those first five days, their chance of dying drops through the floor. The problem? Access and awareness. Many people think "COVID is over," so they don't even test when they get a scratchy throat. By the time they realize it’s COVID and it’s moved to their lungs, the window for Paxlovid has closed.
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We also have Remdesivir, which is used in hospital settings. It’s effective, but again, it’s a race against the clock. Doctors like Dr. Eric Topol have been vocal about the need for better "mucosal" vaccines—nasal sprays that stop the virus in the nose before it ever hits the bloodstream. Until we get those, we are stuck in this cycle of infection and reinfection.
Why the Public Stopped Caring
It's "Out of sight, out of mind."
When the local news stopped running a "death ticker" on the bottom of the screen, the collective anxiety vanished. We’ve reached a state of social endemicity. This means we’ve decided, as a society, that a certain number of deaths per year is an acceptable price for a normal life. We do the same thing with the flu and car accidents.
It’s a bit of a psychological survival mechanism. You can’t live in a state of high alert forever. But this shift has consequences. It means funding for new treatments has dried up. It means hospitals are less prepared for winter surges.
The Statistics Nobody Talks About
If you look at excess mortality—that's the number of people dying compared to what we expected before 2020—the numbers are still higher than they should be. It’s not just COVID deaths; it’s the strain on the healthcare system. When the ER is backed up with COVID patients, the person having a heart attack has to wait longer.
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Looking Ahead: Is an End in Sight?
Will people still be dying from COVID in 2030? Probably.
The Spanish Flu of 1918 never actually went away; its descendants are still part of the seasonal flu we get every year. SARS-CoV-2 is on a similar path. It’s becoming a permanent fixture of human existence. The goal now isn't to eliminate the virus—that ship sailed in 2020—it’s to make it as boring as possible.
We want a world where COVID is a minor annoyance for everyone, including the elderly. We aren't there yet. We still need better ventilation in buildings. We still need better antivirals. And honestly, we need to get better at testing ourselves when we feel off.
Actionable Steps to Stay Safe in 2025
If you’re worried about yourself or a family member, you don’t need to hide in a bunker. You just need to be smart.
- Keep a stash of high-quality tests. The cheap ones from 2022 might not catch the newest variants as effectively, so check the expiration dates and look for updated brands.
- Ventilation is your best friend. If you’re hosting a dinner party and someone has a "sniffle," crack a window. It sounds basic, but moving air is incredibly effective at diluting viral particles.
- Don't wait to treat. If you are over 60 or have health issues, get a Paxlovid prescription the second you test positive. Don't "wait and see if it gets worse."
- The annual shot actually matters. Think of it like a software update for your immune system. You wouldn't run your laptop on an OS from five years ago; don't make your white blood cells fight 2025 viruses with 2021 instructions.
The reality of are people still dying from covid in 2025 is that the risk is manageable, but it hasn't disappeared. We've moved from a global crisis to a personal responsibility. Stay informed, stay updated, and don't let the lack of news headlines trick you into thinking the virus has retired. It’s still out there, doing what viruses do.
Final Insights for 2025 Resilience
- Confirm your risk level: Talk to your doctor specifically about whether you are a candidate for pre-exposure prophylaxis if you are severely immunocompromised.
- Upgrade your masks: If you are in a high-risk setting like a hospital, a loose surgical mask won't cut it against hyper-infectious strains; stick to N95 or KN95.
- Monitor local trends: Use wastewater tracking sites—they are currently the most accurate way to know if a surge is happening in your zip code since home test results aren't reported to the government anymore.