Was COVID-19 more dangerous than flu in El Paso County?

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The flu season and COVID-19 only crossed paths for three months here in El Paso County, but data shows the coronavirus was a bigger concern.

The 2019-2020 flu season officially began September 29, 2019 and ended May 29, 2020. El Paso County reported the first case COVID-19 in the community on March 6, and the first death in the county was reported a week after that.

There is evidence that COVID-19 is a more dangerous virus than the flu.

Over the past 6 months, El Paso County public health has reported over 5,617 cases of coronavirus. Of those, more than 490 patients needed hospitalization and 145 people have died.

So, how do those statistics compare to the flu?

El Paso County Public Health Influenza data shows 474 hospitalizations. State data shows a total of 6 people died from flu in El Paso County.

According to the state's mortality data, an estimated 103 people have died from the flu in Colorado during the 2019-2020 flu season.

In the six months since the first COVID-19 case in Colorado, at least 1,900 people have died.

While COVID-19 and the flu have similar symptoms, as of now, there is no vaccine for COVID-19, which adds to its severity.