Many Americans will forgo flu shot despite fears of COVID-19 ‘twindemic’
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Although influenza vaccination rates have increased in the United States, new data showed that less than 60% of U.S. adults plan to get vaccinated against influenza this season, despite fears of a COVID-19 “twindemic,” experts said.
“We in the infectious disease community have been talking about a potentially double-barreled respiratory virus season, when flu and COVID-19 converge. There's a real risk that even if we only have a moderate flu season, we could be in for a rough few months ahead,” Infectious Disease News Editorial Board Member William Schaffner, MD, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said during the annual influenza and pneumococcal news conference co-hosted by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and the CDC.
“Flu is the respiratory virus that we can actually do something about,” Schaffner said. “We need to prioritize flu prevention and treatment. If everyone 6 months of age and older would get vaccinated against flu, we can save lives and reduce the burden on the health care system.”
To help better understand the beliefs, attitudes and practices surrounding influenza vaccination, the NFID surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18 years or older from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Overall, 68% of respondents said they believed vaccination is the best protection against influenza; however, only 59% said they planned to get vaccinated against influenza this season, and an additional 15% said they were not sure if they will.
The top reasons cited for not getting vaccinated were not believing influenza vaccines work (34%), concern over adverse effects from the vaccine (29%) and concern about getting influenza from the vaccine (22%), which does not occur. An additional 32% cited never getting influenza as their reason.
The NFID survey also revealed that 46% of U.S. adults are worried about coinfection with influenza and COVID-19.
“As we look to the monster here, the scary reality is that we could face a twindemic of COVID-19 and influenza circulating simultaneously,” Schaffner said. “The two viruses share similar symptoms. People with COVID-19 may assume they have the flu, and vice versa. It will be hard for physicians and other health care providers to tell the difference between the diseases based on symptoms alone, and testing may be necessary to help confirm a diagnosis and even testing has its limitations and challenges.”
According to the survey, 28% of respondents reported that the COVID-19 pandemic makes them more likely to get vaccinated against influenza this year, whereas 25% said that if influenza vaccines were additionally offered in alternative settings like drive-through clinics, they would be more likely to get vaccinated.
“Steps to fight the flu and COVID-19 overlap greatly, and we don't want those two diseases together,” Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during the meeting. “Some of the good news is that the commonly practiced public health measures are good for both wear a mask or cloth-based covering in public; maintain your physical distance, avoiding crowds; outdoors is always better than indoors where possible; wash hands frequently; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth; clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces; and stay home when you are sick.”
CDC estimates showed that influenza vaccination coverage has increased over the past decade, including between the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons. According to data presented at the news conference, coverage among children aged 6 months to 17 years was 64% for the 2019-2020 influenza season and 48% among adults.
The CDC data also showed that although coverage increased overall, rates remained largely unchanged among Hispanic and Black children and adults. The data showed that white individuals had higher influenza vaccine coverage at 55% when compared with Black (46%) and Hispanic (47%) individuals.
The CDC recommends that everyone aged 6 months or older receive an annual influenza vaccine.
“Even if you do get flu despite getting vaccinated, please hear this: you are likely to benefit by having a less severe and shorter illness and you are far less likely to get pneumonia, you're less likely to be hospitalized, and you're less likely to die alone,” Schaffner said. “What's wrong with that?”
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