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How COVID and the flu differ

Despite certain similarities, there are significant distinctions between these two respiratory infections.

Transmission: According to the CDC, COVID-19 spreads more easily than the flu. "COVID is considerably more contagious than the flu, with individuals remaining contagious for longer periods of time," adds DiPrete.

Risk of severe illness: The CDC also acknowledges that while both COVID and the flu can cause severe illness, COVID appears to result in more severe manifestations in some individuals. "On a population level, COVID is deemed more serious, as the data demonstrates," states DiPrete. "We observe higher rates of hospitalizations and deaths. What is concerning is that even those who consider themselves perfectly healthy can experience severe disease. While the flu does have notable mortality rates, COVID tends to result in more severe outcomes."

Mortality rates: A study analyzing health data from the Department of Veterans Affairs during the 2022-2023 fall and winter season revealed that being hospitalized for COVID was linked to a higher risk of death compared to hospitalization for the flu. The study authors noted that during that time, the number of people hospitalized for COVID was 2 to 3 times greater than those hospitalized for the flu in the United States. However, the authors also observed that the difference in mortality rates between COVID-19 and the flu appears to have decreased since the early stages of the pandemic. Winslow suggests that the high COVID case fatality rates in 2020 and 2021 were likely due to the lack of immunity to the new virus through vaccination or prior infection in a significant portion of the population. However, it is still too early to make a direct comparison between the recent COVID death rates and the ongoing flu season, which typically spans from October to March.

• The political division concerning COVID

The Yahoo News/YouGov poll highlighted the substantial divergence in public opinion on COVID and the flu based on political affiliation.

Among Republicans, 51% believe that COVID and the flu are roughly equivalent, whereas only 22% of Democrats hold this view. The poll also revealed that 63% of Democrats, compared to 23% of Republicans, consider COVID more severe than the flu, with 5% of Democrats and 9% of Republicans perceiving the flu as more severe. Additionally, Republicans were more inclined than Democrats to compare COVID to a common cold, with 44% of Republicans and only 14% of Democrats describing them as such.

The politicization of COVID-19 and vaccines is not a new phenomenon, and research indicates that it has resulted in a higher excess death rate among registered Republicans. A pandemic-era survey suggests that this political divide may extend beyond COVID and that partisan attitudes towards science, in general, have shifted over time. The 2021 Gallup poll revealed that "Republicans today are much less likely than their predecessors in 1975 to have confidence in science," while Democrats currently exhibit more confidence in science than Democrats in the '70s.

"It is disheartening that ideas regarding science and protection have become so highly politicized," remarks Winslow. "During my upbringing, Republicans were associated with scientific perspectives. President Nixon significantly increased funding for the NIH, enacted the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Endangered Species Act, and there was no political division concerning science."

As we approach the fall and winter seasons, DiPrete recommends that both Republicans and Democrats prioritize vaccination for both COVID and the flu.

"Both illnesses can result in severe disease," she underscores. "COVID remains an extremely serious matter and should be taken seriously, irrespective of political affiliation."