COVID-19 and the 2024-25 Flu Season: What You Need to Know

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The United States appears to be on track to experience a typical respiratory virus season in 2024-25.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is predicting that combined peak hospitalizations from COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) this fall and winter will be similar to or lower than 2023-24.

Cases of the flu, RSV, and other respiratory viruses were lower in 2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22. COVID-19 prevention efforts like decreasing group activities, physical distancing, and masking played a role in the decline.

However, the past two seasons saw those viruses rise to more typical levels, and COVID-19 also spiked.

Graham Snyder, MD, medical director, Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology, UPMC, says it’s hard to predict exactly what a respiratory virus season will look like. However, with social distancing and other public health preventions no longer in effect, a typical respiratory virus season is more likely.

“Even before COVID, it’s hard to tell whether or not influenza will be mild, usual, or severe because these are viruses that are constantly changing,” Dr. Snyder says. “But it’s clear that as much as COVID — particularly the public health response and social lockdowns that we had — disrupted usual transmission of respiratory viruses, we are now past that.

“Respiratory viruses are again circulating in a seasonal cycle. So, that’s why I think we should expect a more typical respiratory virus season, even if it’s hard to say whether typical is severe, mild, or moderate.”

It’s important to take steps to protect yourself and your family members against COVID-19, the flu, and other respiratory viruses in the coming months. Here’s what you need to know.

Are COVID-19 Cases Increasing?

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States is unknown because some people may not get tested or report their at-home testing results. But indications are that, after months of decline, COVID-19 cases began to rise over the summer.

According to CDC data, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 rose over the summer, peaking in late August. COVID-19 wastewater levels — another measure of COVID-19 activity — also rose this summer.

The summer of 2023 followed a similar trend, although the numbers began to increase earlier in 2024.

COVID-19 cases are expected to drop this fall and peak again in the winter, when people again spend more time indoors.

“We certainly have seen, as we had previously, a rise this summer,” Dr. Snyder says. “Whether case counts drop a lot or only a little, I would expect COVID-19 illness is going to go up again when the weather gets cold with winter.”

How Can I Prevent COVID-19 and the Flu?

The best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 and the flu is by getting vaccinated if you’re eligible.

“Vaccines prepare you and your body to fight the viruses that are trying to make you sick,” says Donald Yealy, MD, chief medical officer and senior vice president, Health Services, UPMC.

Vaccines are available or will be available in the coming months for COVID-19, the flu, and RSV. If you’re eligible for the vaccines, you can get them at the same time.

“I personally recommend everyone to get their flu and COVID vaccines and take advantage of the opportunity to protect themselves from the flu and the latest strains of COVID-19,” says Tracey Conti, MD, chair, Family Medicine, UPMC. “If you’re older, you can also get a vaccine to help protect you against RSV, which can cause serious respiratory diseases.

“I recommend you check with your primary care provider about the flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccines. And you can also check with your local pharmacy or your local UPMC Urgent Care.”

New COVID-19 vaccine in 2024

In August 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized and approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The CDC recommended the new vaccines for all Americans ages 6 months and older. The FDA also issued emergency use authorization for an updated vaccine from Novavax in people ages 12 and older.

The vaccine’s new composition protects against variants that are or were circulating in recent months.

The change means that the updated COVID-19 vaccine is similar to a seasonal flu vaccine because it protects against widely circulating virus strains.

“Like influenza, there’s continual genetic change in the SARS-CoV-2 viruses that are circulating,” Dr. Snyder says. “And that means that the change is sufficient that our immune system doesn’t reliably recognize the changed viruses.

“And that gets back to the vaccine indication. Our public health colleagues are recommending a new vaccine each season so that we can update our immune system to recognize the changing viruses.”

The vaccine became available nationwide in September 2024. See the CDC website for dose recommendations.

All people who are eligible for the updated COVID-19 vaccine when it arrives should consider getting vaccinated, Dr. Snyder says. COVID-19 vaccination has proven effective in preventing severe complications like hospitalizations and deaths.

“We have seen pretty consistently, first with the bivalent boosters and then with last year’s seasonal vaccine, that these vaccines offer good incremental benefit, even if you have been previously infected, vaccinated, or both,” Dr. Snyder says. “They’ve offered protection against serious disease and protection against symptomatic disease.”

Flu vaccinations

The annual flu vaccine will be available beginning in the fall. All Americans ages 6 months and older are recommended to get a flu shot. Younger children and older adults are most at risk of serious illness from the flu.

Influenza causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and thousands of deaths — including children — in the United States each year. That makes vaccination important.

“We have many, many seasons of data that the flu vaccine is effective at preventing serious complications,” Dr. Snyder says. “And while it may not be perfect at preventing you from getting sick if you’re exposed to the virus, it decreases the likelihood of you having serious symptoms.

“In other words, it blunts the effect of the disease, so you have a milder disease. So, there are lots of good reasons to get the influenza vaccine.”

RSV vaccination

There are RSV vaccination options to protect the people most at risk: infants and older adults.

RSV is a common virus that most children have been infected with by the time they’re 2 years old. It can then return throughout your life, usually in a less severe form. But infants, young children, and older adults are most at risk of severe illness and hospitalization.

To protect older adults, there is an RSV vaccine available for people over 60. The vaccine is recommended for adults ages 60 to 74 who are at higher risk for RSV and for all adults over 75.

If you’re over 60, talk to your doctor about whether you should get an RSV vaccine. If you have already received an RSV vaccine, you do not have to get another one at this time.

“The most important group for the RSV vaccination are going to be people over the age of 60, and particularly if they have another underlying condition, whether that’s a lung or a heart condition or an immunocompromised state,” Dr. Yealy says.

To protect infants and young children against RSV, there are two options:

• Abrysvo — Abrysvo™, an RSV vaccine, is available for women between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. The vaccine aims to protect newborns and infants from severe RSV illness. It is available from September through January and protects newborns for their first 6 months, when they’re most vulnerable to RSV.
• Nirsevimab-alip (Beyfortus™) — This is a monoclonal antibody recommended for infants under 8 months of age who are born during RSV season or are entering their first RSV season and whose mothers did not receive Abrysvo during pregnancy. It is also recommended for infants between 8 and 19 months of age who are at risk of severe RSV illness and are entering their second RSV season. One dose of nirsevimab protects children for five months — the length of an average flu season.

If you are pregnant or a new mother, talk to your doctor or your child’s doctor about which RSV option is best for your child.

Other COVID-19 and flu prevention methods

Vaccination is the first step in protection. But there are other things you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the flu, RSV, and other respiratory viruses.

• Get tested for COVID-19 and the flu — If you’re feeling symptoms of a respiratory illness, get tested for COVID-19 and the flu. If you test positive for COVID-19, you may qualify for treatment with Paxlovid™, an oral medication. If you test positive for the flu, you may qualify for treatment with antivirals. “If you have any of those symptoms — fever, congestion, sore throat, cough, stuffiness — any one or more of those, stay isolated and test yourself,” Dr. Yealy says. “It’s the way that you can avail yourself to the most and best care for you and protect all those people around you.”
• Stay home if you’re sick — Isolating yourself can protect others from the spread of respiratory illnesses. If you test positive for COVID-19, you should self-isolate for at least five days. “It’s a matter of not giving the virus a chance to spread between people,” Dr. Snyder says. “The best way to do that is to stay home if you’re sick, if you can. That way, when you’re contagious with the virus, you’re not spreading it to others around you.”
• Take symptomatic care — Talk to your doctor about medications you can take to relieve your symptoms. “Do those things that are making you feel better,” Dr. Conti says. “Take the symptomatic care, whether that be medicine to reduce your achiness or a medicine to bring down your fever, making sure you’re taking precautions to avoid spreading the illness to other people.”
• Wear a mask — Wearing a mask if you’re sick can protect others from the spread of respiratory viruses. If you had COVID-19, you are considered contagious for 10 days. So even if you end self-isolation after five days, you should wear a mask for an additional five days while in indoor public places or while around people at risk of COVID-19 complications. You also can choose to wear a mask even if you’re not sick to protect yourself — especially while in crowded public places.

How Can I Tell If I Have COVID-19 or the Flu?

COVID-19, the flu, RSV, and other respiratory viruses share many symptoms. While there are some subtle differences, there’s often no way to tell which illness you have without getting tested. That’s what makes getting tested so important.

As respiratory virus season approaches, it’s important to take every step you can to protect yourself and those around you. The best ways to do that include vaccination, staying home if you’re sick, and getting tested if you’re sick.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on October 7, 2024, and was last reviewed on February 12, 2025.