COVID-19 continues to be associated with substantial mortality among patients requiring hospital care. During the 2023–2024 winter season, thirty-day mortality among hospitalised patients was 5.7% (Xie et al., JAMA 2024).

Comparative evidence shows that outcomes for COVID-19 remain more severe than for some other respiratory infections in similar settings. In the same period, thirty-day mortality among patients hospitalised with seasonal influenza was 4.2%, corresponding to a 35% higher risk of death for COVID-19 (Xie et al., JAMA 2024).
Beyond hospital settings, COVID-19 is also associated with elevated longer-term mortality, even among people who were not hospitalised during the acute infection. Evidence shows that people infected with COVID-19 had a measurably higher likelihood of death over the following six months compared with influenza and RSV (Bajema et al., JAMA Intern Med 2025).
Taken together, these findings show that COVID-19 continues to contribute meaningfully to the burden of severe respiratory disease in the post-pandemic phase, particularly for vulnerable populations, alongside other important respiratory infections.

1 in 20

patients hospitalised with COVID-19 dies

35%

higher mortality among hospitalised COVID-19 patients compared to seasonal influenza

Evidence shows that COVID-19 is linked to significant longer-term health consequences, particularly cardiovascular disease.
Over the year following infection, people who had COVID-19 experienced a markedly higher risk of conditions such as heart disease, stroke, heart failure and blood clots, even if they were not hospitalised initially (Xie et al., Nat Med 2022).
The estimated excess burden was around 45 additional cardiovascular events per 1,000 people in the year after COVID-19 compared with uninfected individuals, with risks increasing further among those who had more severe initial illness (Xie et al., Nat Med 2022).
This underscores that COVID-19 should be understood as a longer-term health risk, not just an acute respiratory infection.

additional cardiovascular events per 1,000 people in the year after COVID-19

COVID-19 continues to circulate widely across Europe. Detected cases across the EU/EEA show repeated waves of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. This ongoing circulation underpins the continued impact of COVID-19 on health systems.
Reported case numbers substantially underestimate the true burden of infection. The figures shown reflect detected cases only and are strongly influenced by testing practices, which have declined markedly since the pandemic phase. With far less routine testing in place, a significant proportion of infections now go undetected, meaning the true burden of COVID-19 is likely considerably higher than surveillance data alone suggest.

This continued circulation is also having an impact on hospitalisations, mortality and other longer-term outcomes. These indicators are crucial to understand the full public health impact of COVID-19.
Yet, as the graphs below show, data collection on hospitalisations and deaths is likely to be significantly under-reported. For example, data reported in the UK shows a relatively high burden, whereas EU/EEA data is significantly lower. Yet we know that COVID-19 is not uniquely prevalent in the UK - so a large part of the challenge with understanding the true burden of COVID-19 has to do with more consistent reporting.

Xie Y, et al. Mortality in Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 vs Influenza in Fall–Winter 2023–2024. JAMA. 2024;331(22):1963–1965.
Bajema KL, et al. Severity and Long-Term Mortality of COVID-19, Influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2025. DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.7452.
Xie Y, Xu E, Bowe B, Al-Aly Z. Long-term cardiovascular outcomes of COVID-19. Nature Medicine. 2022;28:583–590.

* Data refers specifically to England.