Survey shows low concern among Americans about COVID-19, flu, RSV
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Key takeaways:
- Only 22%, 23% and 19% of U.S. adults are concerned about getting infected with influenza, COVID-19 and RSV, respectively.
- Plans for vaccination were similarly low for all three respiratory infections.
Despite experts warning of the dangers of influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus and pneumococcal disease this fall and winter, survey data shows that many U.S. adults underestimate the seriousness of these infections.
“The 2023 National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) survey found that many U.S. adults underestimate the seriousness of influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and pneumococcal disease,” Robert H. Hopkins, Jr., MD, medical director of the NFID, told Healio.
“Results show many adults do not plan to get vaccinated against these respiratory diseases, including those at higher risk for related complications,” Hopkins said.
According to data collected in the annual survey recorded by the NFID, although 65% of surveyed U.S. adults believe that annual vaccination is the best protection against influenza, 43% said they do not plan to or are unsure if they will get vaccinated for the 2023-2024 influenza season and just 22% of U.S. adults are concerned about themselves or someone in their family getting infected with influenza.
People who said they did not plan on getting vaccinated cited concerns about potential side effects from the vaccine (32%), not trusting the vaccines (31%), not thinking the vaccines work very well (27%) and concerns over getting sick from vaccines (27%) as their top reasons.
Hopkins said that September and October are good times to get vaccinated against influenza, but people can still get vaccinated as long as viruses are circulating.
“If possible, get vaccinated before flu begins spreading in your community,” he said.
In addition to influenza, the NFID survey also explored attitudes toward COVID-19, pneumococcal disease and RSV.
Regarding COVID-19, survey data showed that only 23% of U.S. adults are very or extremely concerned about themselves or someone in their family getting infected with SARS-CoV-2 and only 40% plan to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
Among those not planning on getting the updated vaccine, nearly half (48%) are concerned about side effects, whereas 34% do not trust the vaccine, 28% do not think they work very well, 27% are concerned about getting sick from the vaccine and 13% do not think COVID-19 is a serious illness.
“COVID-19 continues to pose a health threat, but we have more and more tools,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, said during the annual NFID press conference.
“If you look at just in 2023 from January to July, most of the folks who are getting hospitalized from COVID-19 are over the age of 65 and the others are folks with underlying conditions. In fact, 70% of American adults have at least one risk factor that increases your risk for more severe illness from COVID-19,” she said.
Earlier this month, the CDC recommended updated COVID-19 vaccines for everyone aged older than 6 months.
“As a mom, as a wife, as a daughter, I wouldn't recommend something for the American people that I wouldn't recommend to my own family,” Cohen said.
Confounding influenza and COVID-19 vaccine concerns this season is administration. The NFID survey showed that only 38% of U.S. adults would get both vaccines at the same time if offered.
More than half (56%) of those surveyed cited concerns of side effects as their primary reasons for not getting both vaccines at the same time, whereas 37% do not think it is safe and 21% have not been advised to get the vaccines together.
Data from the survey regarding RSV vaccines showed that only 19% of U.S. adults are concerned about themselves or a loved one getting infected this RSV season, which Cohen explained is already underway and on track with last year’s RSV season, which started early and “increased rapidly” across the country.
According to CDC data, an estimated 80,000 children aged younger than 5 years and 160,000 older adults were hospitalized due to RSV, and as many as 300 children aged younger than 5 years and as many as 10,000 older adults died from RSV.
“[Cases] are starting here in the southeast,” Cohen said. “But again, the good news here is that we have effective ways to protect ourselves from the worst outcomes of all of these respiratory illnesses.”
Unfortunately, uptake of RSV vaccines could be low this upcoming season. According to the survey, only 40% of adults aged 60 years and older plan to get an RSV vaccine, with the top reasons to not get vaccinated being concerns about side effects (33%), not trusting the vaccine (28%) and not having been advised to get an RSV vaccine (27%).
Because this is the first year that influenza, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines will be available and recommended for some populations, there are concerns over when the best time to receive the new RSV vaccine is.
Hopkins said, though, that the CDC guidance says it is safe to get an RSV vaccine with the other vaccines. Data on this, however, are limited. Because of this, he said, some experts suggest separating vaccinations by 2 weeks, “but there is no contraindication to getting them at the same visit.”
For children, 6 months and older, he added, COVID-19 and influenza vaccines may be given at the same visit, whereas current RSV vaccines are not approved for use in children. Nirsevimab is recommended for RSV prevention in children aged younger than 8 months in their first RSV season and certain high-risk children in their second RSV season, though, he said.
Panelists at the conference said that influenza season is also the right time to make sure you are up to date on pneumococcal vaccination because pneumococcal disease can be a serious complication of influenza. Unfortunately, only 40% of those at higher risk for pneumococcal disease have been advised to get a pneumococcal vaccine.
“We all know that a firm recommendation from a health care practitioner has a powerful impact on persuading people to get vaccinated,” William Schaffner, MD, Infectious Disease News Editorial Board member and professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said during the press conference.
“I would urge all of my fellow practitioners to make those recommendations as we go into this vaccination season. And by recommendation, I mean a recommendation with a capital R, not something casual. Let's make it a very committed recommendation,” Schaffner said.
Fortunately, the survey showed that among those who have been advised, most (79%) have received a pneumococcal vaccine so far this season.
“As health care professionals, we have a responsibility to educate patients about the importance of vaccination to help prevent severe illness and hospitalization,” Hopkins said. “Getting vaccinated against flu and other respiratory diseases this season is the best way to help protect yourself and your loved ones.”.
Collapse
Press conference.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts