"California's Annual Death Toll Hits Four-Year Low, Defying Expectations"
California is projected to have the fewest annual deaths in four years, with the number of deaths from all causes expected to fall under 300,000. The decline is primarily due to fewer COVID-19 deaths, with the virus killing over 18,000 people at this time last year compared to close to 6,000 deaths so far this year. The lower death projections indicate that COVID-19 is becoming an endemic disease alongside flu and pneumonia. However, respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), are on the rise in the Bay Area. Public health officials are implementing new ways to track and inform the public about respiratory viruses, including the release of a new respiratory virus dashboard by the California Department of Public Health. Despite lower COVID-19 deaths, heart disease and cancer continue to be the leading causes of death in California.