The Flu Season: By the Numbers

March 11, 2026

There are no guarantees with flu season, but Pennsylvania has finally reached a “stable” state for the virus, while RSV and COVID-19 are decreasing rapidly.

As we head into warmer weather, a new post-pandemic trend has emerged:  Influenza now ranks as the top-spreading winter virus across the nation.

In Pennsylvania, the number of COVID-19 and flu-related deaths were very similar (446 and 432, respectively). The flu led to 1.5 times more hospital admissions this year, per state data.

“They are pretty close to each other—influenza and SARS-CoV-2—but that doesn’t mean it’s good because influenza is dangerous, too,” a virologist and professor told The Washington Post this month.

Here’s five things to know about this flu season:

• 15,940 adult and 2,962 pediatric admissions for the flu in Pennsylvania, and 115,046 lab-confirmed cases
• 9,989 adult and 782 pediatric admissions for COVID-19
• 3,856 adult and 2,273 pediatric admissions for RSV
• 26,000,000 illnesses, 340,000 hospitalizations, and 21,000 deaths nationally
• 92.6 percent of tested versus belonged to the subclade K variant.

Additional information about this year’s winter viruses is available via these state and federal resources.