The public, by and large, has not been on board with immunizations in the aftermath of the pandemic, despite public health agencies heavily campaigning this year for more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the flu, and RSV.
The three respiratory diseases have been marketed in the United States and globally as a “tripledemic,” as all three tend to have a strong effect during the traditional fall and winter flu season.
It’s too early to have concrete data about vaccine uptake for this illness season, but September poll numbers indicate that a large portion of adults in the U.S. are not planning on getting vaccinated this year.
According to an Ohio State University Medical Center poll, only about 56% of adults either have gotten their flu shot or are planning to this season. About 1 in 4 adults say they plan to get their updated COVID-19 vaccine.
About 37% of respondents in the national poll said they had been vaccinated in the past, but they did not need them this year.
“We’re at the start of respiratory virus season when you have the triple threat of flu, COVID-19, and RSV,” said Dr. Nora Colburn, lead author of the study. “Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about vaccinations, but the reality is that they are safe and highly effective in preventing serious illness and death.”
Anticipating lower turnout, the Department of Health and Human Services launched a public health campaign called “Risk Less, Do More” in August to bolster vaccine uptake this season, having already produced more than 40 social media posters and videos to spread awareness.
HHS has also purchased paid advertising on radio and television to target those most at risk for severe disease.
May Malik, senior adviser for HHS Public Education Campaigns, said the effort is part of “a multi-layered response to encourage people to get vaccinated so they can keep doing more of what they love.”
Malik said the “We Can Do This” HHS campaign from April 2021 to March 2022 encouraged 22.3 million people to get their first COVID-19 vaccines, which the department estimates saved tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars in costs due to COVID-19 infections.
History of vaccine statistics
Flu vaccine uptake has consistently been higher than that for COVID-19 and RSV. However, flu vaccine uptake has waned in the wake of the pandemic, suggesting that many have become more skeptical of public health agencies.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 56% of children younger than 17 years old and 45% of adults over the age of 18 were vaccinated against the flu last year. That’s down by about two percentage points for each age bracket compared to its peak in the 2020-2021 season.
The CDC did not recommend flu vaccines for everyone over 6 months old until the 2010-2011 season, but it has recommended flu vaccines for adults over age 65 since 1961.
Flu vaccine uptake for seniors hovered around 65% between 2000 and 2013. When the agency began recommending vaccines for all ages, rates increased steadily from 2015 until the pandemic, when vaccine rates started to decline during the 2021-2022 season.
Although flu vaccination rates have declined, COVID-19 and RSV vaccine rates are still significantly lower than flu vaccines at any point in the 21st century.
The American Medical Association estimated that only 22.5% of adults and only 14% of children received the COVID-19 vaccine last cycle.
RSV vaccines are only recommended for adults over the age of 60 or pregnant women, but vaccine uptake is still lower than that for the flu, according to the CDC. As of May, only 24% of adults over age 60 received an RSV vaccine last cycle. As of January, fewer than 18% of pregnant women took the RSV vaccine.
Pandemic legacy of vaccine fatigue
Although the COVID-19 pandemic started almost five years ago, its effects still linger.
Vaccine fatigue following the pandemic has been cited by public health agencies worldwide as a cause for a decline in vaccination rates for respiratory diseases and other illnesses.
The World Health Organization blamed vaccine fatigue in January for the uptick in preventable cases of the flu and COVID-19 in the U.S. and Europe last season.
Public health experts also said that respect for institutions, including the CDC and the National Institutes of Health, dwindled during the pandemic, which contributed to low vaccination rates.
Last year’s polling data from both the Pew Research Center and Gallup show that public confidence in the medical system and scientists has fallen to record lows.
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The House Energy and Commerce Committee in July held a hearing with top CDC leaders to address the crisis of widespread distrust in the nation’s premiere public health agency.
During the hearing, directors from the various branches within the CDC outlined the agency’s goals for improving public trust and the action steps that have already been taken, particularly with vaccination rates, to restore the agency’s image.