Via press release from the CDC:
With a potentially severe respiratory season ahead, about half of all US adults remain vulnerable to influenza (flu), according to new data released today by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). The new NFID survey of US adults found that only 49% plan to get a flu vaccine during the 2022-2023 flu season. Leading health experts from NFID and the CDC are urging everyone age 6 months and older to get vaccinated against flu now, amid concerns of a potentially severe season in the US.
CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, is encouraging the public to prioritize vaccination. “Last flu season, nearly half of adults received their flu vaccine—with adults age 65 years and older leading in flu vaccine coverage,” said Dr. Walensky, citing new CDC data also released at today’s news conference. “With a potentially challenging flu season ahead, I urge everyone to protect themselves and their families from flu and its potentially serious complications. Schedule your flu vaccine today.”
?️ How bad could it be and why?
To forecast circulation, health experts monitor countries in the Southern Hemisphere like Australia, where preliminary data indicates flu cases in 2022 peaked earlier and higher than in any of the previous five seasons. https://t.co/IWYMxFk4W2
— Boston.com (@BostonDotCom) October 4, 2022
The fact that many of the COVID-19 mitigation measures (like social distancing and mask mandates) that aided flu prevention in previous years are now relaxed also means more influenza could be seen this year. https://t.co/IWYMxFkCLA
— Boston.com (@BostonDotCom) October 4, 2022
Australia just experienced its worst flu season in five years and what happens in Southern Hemisphere winters often foreshadows what Northern countries can expect, said @JohnsHopkinsMMI‘s @AndrewPekosz. https://t.co/2OR7NXbXry
— Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (@JohnsHopkinsSPH) October 3, 2022