Respiratory Illnesses Continue to Pressure Canada’s Hospitals Despite the End of the Pandemic Peak
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Respiratory illnesses continue to place significant pressure on hospitals across Canada, even years after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new national health data.
Figures released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information show that hospitalizations for vaccine-preventable respiratory diseases remained far above pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, the rate reached 142 hospitalizations per 100,000 residents, compared with 66 per 100,000 in 2019.
COVID-19 remains a major driver of this pressure, contributing to more than 40 percent of these hospitalizations. Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, together accounted for more than half of the hospital admissions linked to vaccine-preventable respiratory illnesses.
The burden is falling most heavily on older adults and young children. People aged 75 and older represented nearly half of these hospitalizations, while children aged zero to four accounted for about 20 percent.
The pressure is not only clinical, but also financial. CIHI data shows that the average cost of a COVID-19 hospitalization was about $28,500 per patient, with an average hospital stay of around 23 days. That means respiratory illness continues to affect hospital capacity, staffing, bed availability, and health-care budgets.
The latest figures come as vaccination coverage remains uneven. During the 2024-2025 season, 33 percent of adults in Canada received a flu vaccine, while 26 percent received a COVID-19 vaccine in fall 2024. Among seniors aged 65 and older, coverage reached 63 percent for influenza and 54 percent for COVID-19.
Public health experts say the numbers show that respiratory illness is no longer only a short seasonal concern. It has become an ongoing health-system challenge, especially as Canada’s population ages and multiple viruses circulate during the same season.
Health officials continue to encourage Canadians, especially seniors, people with chronic conditions, pregnant people, and families with young children, to follow local public health advice, stay up to date with recommended vaccines, stay home when sick, and consider masking in crowded indoor spaces or when around medically vulnerable people.
