Survey shows some US adults think COVID-19 vaccination nullifies need for flu shot

A recent survey found that 36% of U.S. adults did not intend to receive an influenza vaccine this year. Of those, 8% said this decision was based on the assumption that their COVID-19 vaccine would protect them against influenza.

The survey of 2,075 U.S. adults was commissioned in September by Everside Health, a direct primary care provider, and conducted by the Harris Poll.

Other misconceptions among survey respondents included believing the influenza vaccine causes influenza (16%) and that this year’s influenza season “might not be bad” since the influenza-related hospitalization rate last year was at an all-time low (7%).

Tobias Barker, MD, MPH, chief medical officer of Everside Health, said “it is important to realize” that last year’s influenza season was mild because a record number of influenza vaccines were administered and most people protected themselves through infection prevention measures such as wearing masks, social distancing, working or learning remotely and handwashing.

Tobias Barker

“Bottom line is that many of the reasons are simply based on misunderstandings,” Barker told Healio Primary Care.

In addition, some respondents said they would not get the influenza vaccine this year because:

• they did not get influenza last year (30%);
• they did not think contracting influenza would significantly impact their lives (21%);
• they believe that wearing a mask and practicing social distancing will safeguard them from influenza (17%); and
• they think their exposure to influenza will be “relatively low” since they work remotely (9%).

“The real danger in people being misinformed on any vaccine, including the COVID and flu vaccines, is that they will put themselves at risk of illness or death from that virus or that they will be a reservoir or carrier of that virus to someone else who could become harmed by the virus,” Barker said.

The survey also showed that more respondents in the Northeast were planning on receiving an influenza vaccine (69%), followed by those in the West (67%), the Midwest (63%) and the South (61%).

Barker pointed out that several states have either rationed health care, or have come perilously close to doing so, providing another impetus for advising patients to receive the influenza vaccine.

“It’s more important than ever to get a flu shot this year, as many hospitals around the country are at or near capacity treating COVID-19 patients,” Barker said in a press release.