Walk into any grocery store or airport today and it feels like 2019. The masks are gone. The social distancing stickers have peeled off the floor. We've collectively decided to move on, and honestly, who can blame us? But the data tells a quieter, more sobering story that doesn't quite match the "it’s just a cold now" vibe we see on social media. People are still dying. Every single day. When you look at how many people are still dying from covid, the numbers aren't what they were during the dark winter of 2021, but they aren't zero either.
It's weird.
We've entered this strange phase of the pandemic—or post-pandemic, depending on who you ask—where the threat has become a background hum. It’s like living near a highway; after a while, you just stop hearing the cars. But for thousands of families every month, that hum becomes a deafening silence. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC still track these metrics closely, even if the nightly news has shifted its focus to inflation or the latest tech trends.
The Actual Math: Checking the Vital Signs
Let's get into the weeds for a second. According to the CDC’s dashboard, the United States still sees hundreds of deaths every week attributed to COVID-19. In late 2024 and heading into 2025, that number often hovered between 500 to 900 deaths per week. That sounds low compared to the 3,000 deaths per day we saw during the initial Omicron surge, but do the math. Over a year, that's still 25,000 to 40,000 people. That is roughly equivalent to a bad flu season or the number of people who die in car accidents annually.
We don't usually shrug off 40,000 deaths.
Why is this happening? Basically, the virus hasn't stopped evolving. We’ve seen a parade of subvariants—JN.1, KP.2, KP.3—each one slightly better at dodging the immunity we built up from previous infections or those shots we got two years ago. Dr. Mandy Cohen, Director of the CDC, has been pretty vocal about the fact that the virus is "staying with us." It’s seasonal now, but it’s a long season.
Who Is Still At Risk?
It isn't a mystery who is losing this fight. The vast majority of deaths are occurring in people over the age of 65. Specifically, the "old-old"—those 85 and up—are incredibly vulnerable. For them, a "mild" case isn't just a scratchy throat and a weekend on the couch. It’s a cascade of respiratory failure, heart stress, or secondary pneumonia.
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Immunocompromised individuals are also still in the crosshairs. If you're a transplant recipient or undergoing chemotherapy, your body doesn't always "take" the vaccine the same way. For this group, the question of how many people are still dying from covid isn't an academic exercise; it’s a daily risk assessment. They are the ones still wearing N95s in the pharmacy. They have to.
Then there’s the "lag" factor.
Deaths usually follow hospitalizations by a few weeks. When we see a "wave" in wastewater data—which is the best way we track the virus now that most people test at home and don't report it—we can almost predict the uptick in mortality. It’s a grim clockwork.
The Problem With "Mild"
We’ve all heard it: "It’s just like the flu now."
Sorta.
The mortality rate has plummeted because of two things: high population immunity and better treatment. We have Paxlovid now. We have remdesivir. But Paxlovid has to be taken early, and it has a long list of drug interactions that make it tricky for some seniors who are already on a cocktail of heart medications. If you can't take the antivirals, you're back to square one, relying on an immune system that might be tired.
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And let's be real about the healthcare system. Nurses are burnt out. Hospitals in rural areas are closing. When a senior gets hit with COVID-19 in a town with no ICU beds, their chances of becoming a statistic go up. It’s a systemic failure as much as a biological one.
Global Variations and the Data Gap
If you think the data in the U.S. is fuzzy, look globally. In many parts of the world, testing has completely stopped. The WHO periodically warns that we are "flying blind." We know that how many people are still dying from covid globally is likely an undercount. In countries with lower vaccination rates or less access to high-quality masks and ventilation, the virus still rips through populations with more ferocity than we see in the West.
Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove from the WHO has repeatedly pointed out that the virus is still in a "pandemic phase" even if the "emergency phase" is over. It’s a nuanced distinction that gets lost in a 30-second soundbite.
Why the Number of Deaths Still Matters for the Rest of Us
You might think that if you're 30 and healthy, these deaths don't affect you. But mortality is just the tip of the spear. For every death, there are dozens of hospitalizations and hundreds of cases of Long COVID.
The death rate acts as a barometer for how much virus is circulating. When deaths go up, it means the viral load in the community is high. This leads to:
- Labor shortages: People calling out sick for two weeks.
- Economic drag: The cost of long-term disability for survivors.
- Healthcare strain: Every COVID-19 bed is a bed not available for a stroke victim or an elective surgery.
It’s all connected. You can't separate the mortality rate from the general health of society.
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The Vaccine Fatigue Factor
Honestly, people are tired of needles. The uptake for the 2024-2025 updated boosters was significantly lower than the original rollout. This "vaccine fatigue" is a direct contributor to the death toll. Protection against severe disease and death wanes after about six months. If your last shot was in 2022, you're essentially walking around with a very thin shield.
The virus is a shapeshifter. It doesn't care that you're "done" with it.
What the Experts Are Watching Now
Scientists are looking at "excess deaths." This is a statistical concept that compares how many people died this year versus how many we expected to die based on historical trends. Even when COVID-19 isn't listed as the primary cause of death on a certificate, we see a bump in heart attacks and strokes following infections.
Is a heart attack three weeks after a "mild" COVID-19 case a COVID-19 death?
Many cardiologists say yes. The virus causes massive inflammation in the lining of the blood vessels. So, the question of how many people are still dying from covid might actually have a much larger answer than the official government tallies suggest. We are likely missing the "indirect" deaths caused by the virus’s long-term damage to the cardiovascular system.
Actionable Insights: How to Not Be a Statistic
We don't need to live in fear, but we do need to live in reality. The "new normal" shouldn't mean ignoring the facts.
- Check the Wastewater: Forget the "case counts" on the news. Look at your local wastewater data (the CDC has a map for this). If the levels are "High" or "Very High," it’s time to put the mask back on in crowded spaces.
- The Six-Month Rule: If it’s been more than six months since your last shot or your last infection, your antibodies are likely low. Timing your booster before winter or a big trip is just smart planning.
- Ventilation is King: If you're hosting a gathering, crack a window or run an HEPA filter. It's the easiest way to drop the viral load in a room without making it "weird" for your guests.
- Have a Paxlovid Plan: If you're high-risk, talk to your doctor before you get sick. Know if your current meds interact with antivirals so you aren't scrambling at 2 AM on a Saturday.
- Test Early and Often: Those home tests still work, but they often don't show a positive until day 3 or 4 of symptoms. Don't assume it's "just allergies" because you tested negative on day one.
The reality of how many people are still dying from covid is a reminder that the world has changed. We have the tools to prevent almost all of these deaths—vaccines, masking, air filtration, and antivirals. The tragedy isn't just that people are dying; it's that we've reached a point where we've decided those deaths are an acceptable price for "normalcy." Understanding the risk doesn't mean stopping your life; it means having the situational awareness to protect it. Keep an eye on the trends, stay updated on your boosters, and don't let the "background hum" lull you into a false sense of security.