The Lancet Respiratory Medicine: COVID-19 causes more severe disease than seasonal influenza, comparison of data from over 130,000 hospitalised patients confirms Peer-reviewed / Observational / People Study based on French national data from 89,530 patients hospitalised with COVID-19 between 1 March and 30 April 2020 and 45,819 patients hospitalised with seasonal influenza between 1 December 2018 - 28 February 2019. Death rate among hospitalised COVID-19 patients was three times higher than seasonal influenza (15,104/89,530 [16.9%] vs influenza 2640/45,819 [5.8%]). More patients with COVID-19 required intensive care (14,585/89,530 [16.3%] vs influenza, 4926/45,819 [10.8%]) and the average stay in ICU with COVID-19 was nearly twice as long (15 days vs 8 days) Fewer children aged under 18 years were hospitalised with COVID-19 compared with seasonal influenza (1227/89,530 [1.4%] vs 8942/45,819 [19.5%]), but a larger proportion of those aged under 5 years required intensive care for COVID-19 (14/ 613 [2·3%] vs influenza 65/ 6973 [0·9%]). The case fatality rate in children under 5 years was similar for both groups and was very low (number of deaths COVID-19: 3/613 [0.5%] vs influenza: 13/6973 [0.2%]).