How flu overtook COVID as Australia’s deadliest respiratory virus

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Jun 02, 2026 · 907 words · By Adrian Esterman

Public Health Data Analysis Epidemiological Trends Vaccination Advocacy

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The article analyzes Australian Bureau of Statistics data regarding respiratory virus deaths in 2025, noting a significant increase in influenza deaths compared to previous years. It discusses the declining trend of COVID-19 deaths, the impact of the RSV virus, and the importance of vaccination for high-risk groups.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Many Australians have stopped worrying about respiratory viruses.

Why it matters

The pandemic has passed and attention has shifted.

Common ground

COVID no longer dominates the headlines, and influenza is often dismissed as a routine winter illness.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Public Health Data Analysis story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that between August 2025 and January 2026, influenza was the underlying cause of more deaths each month than COVID?
How does this story connect Public Health Data Analysis with Epidemiological Trends over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/how-flu-overtook-covid-as-australias-deadliest-respi…

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 3

schedule Pending 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “between August 2025 and January 2026, influenza was the underlying cause of more deaths each month than COVID”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm that influenza deaths exceeded COVID-19 deaths monthly between August 2025 and January 2026 (or August to October 2025).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — False information, including disinformation and conspiracy theories about the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and the origin, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease has been spread through…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_misinformation

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Nigeria

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The COVID-19 pandemic in Poland was part of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2. As of 8 June 2025, Poland had a cumulative total of 6,780,272 confirmed cases (17,862 per 100,000 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Poland

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “In 2025, there were 1,718 deaths due to COVID, down from 3,908 in 2024 and 4,613 in 2023.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for COVID-19 deaths contains general statistics or data for other countries (Poland), but does not provide the specific figures for Australia in 2023, 2024, and 2025 mentioned in the claim.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, cordons sanitaires and s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_lockdowns

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was part of the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Australia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The general COVID-19 vaccination in Australia program began on 22 February 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of vaccinating all willing people in Australia before 2022. Front-li…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_vaccination_in_Austra…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 3: “influenza vaccine coverage among Australians aged 65 years and over was around 62%. This is down from 64% in 2023”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence discusses general vaccination trends in the USA and China or general info about 65+ vaccines, but does not provide the specific 62% and 64% figures for Australia.

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web search NEUTRAL — Now that the first COVID19 vaccine from Pfizer is being released, how do mRNA vaccines work?Are Vaccines Causing Magnetism? ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=the81FQoAUI

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web search NEUTRAL — ... Influenza vaccination rates in those aged 65+ in the USA up to 2001/02 was from the study of Simonsen et al.... The adjusted influenza VCR was approximately 5.2% among older people during the 2016…
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Trends-in-vaccination-co…

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web search NEUTRAL — The vaccine is free to those aged 65 years and above. It is generally available from mid-April to fend against the peak influenza season which is typically June to September.
https://atticushealth.com.au/important-vaccinations/

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Claim 4: “Early data suggest influenza deaths during January and February were roughly double those recorded during the same period in 2025.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “In 2025, another 392 deaths listed RSV as a contributor.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “A late-emerging H3N2 subclade K influenza variant (known as super K) extended the season and was poorly matched to the H3N2 strain in that year’s vaccine.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the emergence of the H3N2 subclade K ('super K') variant, its role in extending the season, and its poor match with the 2025 vaccine.

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web search NEUTRAL — Subclade K viruses were genetically and antigenically distinct from the 2025 vaccine A(H3N2) strain A/Croatia/10136RV/2023 (H3N2)-like virus and previously circulating subclade J viruses.
https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.E…

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web search NEUTRAL — More recently, a further drifted and poorly matched lineage of H3N2—subclade K—emerged toward the end of the winter in the Southern Hemisphere. This lineage is now “projected to predominate among A(H3…
https://gizmodo.com/a-surprise-flu-variant-threw-off-the-vac…

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web search NEUTRAL — "2025 influenza strains hospitalizations". "2026 flu vaccine effectiveness". Found 29 sources. This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.
https://factually.co/fact-checks/health/2025-2026-flu-strain…

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Claim 7: “This is more than in previous peak years, such as 2017 (1,276 deaths) and 2019 (1,072 deaths).”

CORROBORATED

Three separate web search results confirm the 2017 death toll was 1,276 and the 2019 death toll was 1,072.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Influenza vaccines, colloquially known as flu shots or flu jab, are vaccines that protect against infection by influenza viruses. New versions of the vaccines are developed twice a year, as the influe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_vaccine

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the misleading name Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “In 2024, influenza was recorded as the underlying cause of death in 807 Australians.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of dictionary definitions for the word 'there' and does not contain any statistical data regarding 2024 influenza deaths.

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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · Note: Do not confuse there, which has meanings that mostly relate to a literal or abstract location, with the words their and they're. Their has to do with what belongs to or is associate…
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/there

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web search NEUTRAL — We can use there at the start of a clause as a type of indefinite subject. This means that we can put the actual subject at the end of the clause and so give it emphasis or focus (underlined below): …
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/there

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 17, 2022 · In this article, we’ll explain the meanings of their, there, and they’re, how to use each word correctly, and provide example sentences for each term. We’ll also give some tips on how t…
https://www.dictionary.com/articles/their-vs-there-vs-theyre

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Claim 9: “In 2025, RSV was the underlying cause of 198 deaths in Australia.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

help

Claim 10: “the World Health Organization target of 75% for this age group.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

info

Claim 11: “This is the highest number the ABS has recorded in this series of data in modern times.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the death toll for 2025 is corroborated, the specific claim that this is the 'highest number the ABS has recorded in this series' is not explicitly confirmed across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence, though it is implied by the comparison to previous peaks.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Australian census, simply called the 2026 Census, will be the nineteenth national Census of Population and Housing in Australia. The 2026 Census is scheduled to take place on 11 August 2026, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Australian_census

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — These lists of Australian cities by population provide rankings of Australian cities and towns according to various systems defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The eight Greater Capi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Australia_by…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an agency of the Australian Government that collates and analyses statistical data on economic, demographic, environmental and social issues to support pol…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Bureau_of_Statistic…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “In 2025, there were 1,455 deaths in Australia due to influenza.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results (including 'How flu overtook COVID' and 'Australian Respiratory Surveillance Report') confirm 1,455 deaths due to influenza in Australia in 2025.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Australia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Taskmaster Australia is an Australian comedy panel game show first broadcast on Network 10 on 2 February 2023. Based on the British show Taskmaster created by comedian Alex Horne, the program revolves…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taskmaster_Australia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a land area of 7,688,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 13: “The 2026 flu vaccine has been updated to better match last year’s troublesome H3N2 strain.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.