And also viruses usually become less deadly over time because variants which kill the host infect fewer new hosts, so variants which do not kill the host become more prevalent.

I suspect that (1) people have become complacent, (2) people are blaming their symptoms on flu season and not realizing they need medical care until it’s too late, (3) people are not bothering to get the updated COVID vaccinations, and (4) COVID isn’t a regular part of the news cycle anymore, which is exacerbating 1-3.