Vaccination rates for flu and Covid are low this season, CDC says

Vaccination rates for the flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are low for adults in the U.S. so far this season, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

As of Nov. 9, an estimated 35% of U.S. adults had gotten the new flu vaccine, and nearly 18% had received the new Covid vaccines, CDC data shows. However, the agency noted that many unvaccinated adults reported that they intend to get their shots. 

“There is still time to get vaccinated,” the report said.

The vaccination rate for the flu as of October was roughly equivalent to the same time last year, the CDC found. By the end of 2023, nearly 44% of Americans were estimated to have gotten a flu shot.

The rate of Covid vaccination is also similar to last November, around 15%.

The CDC has recommended flu and Covid shots for everyone 6 months and older.

The findings come amid rising vaccine hesitancy in the U.S., and a week after President-elect Donald Trump named Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccine activist, as his pick for health and human services secretary.

Pediatricians have expressed grave concerns about Kennedy’s expected nomination, predicting that the decision-making power he would have over vaccines could accelerate the number of parents who reject the shots for their kids and consequently lead to deadly outbreaks.

The new CDC report warns that flu, Covid and RSV can cause serious illness, particularly for people ages 65 and up and those with certain medical conditions. Young children can also be at risk from influenza — there were more than 200 pediatric deaths during the 2023-2024 season, according to the CDC. About 80% of those children weren’t vaccinated for the flu.

A second CDC report released Thursday found low vaccination coverage among residents of nursing homes. As of Nov. 10, only about 3 in 10 nursing home residents had received the new Covid vaccine, the researchers found. And among residents who reported their vaccination status, 58% had gotten a flu shot — a lower rate than the same time last year — while about 18% had received an RSV vaccine.

“More nursing home residents need protection from RSV, COVID-19, and flu,” the report said. “Nursing home leadership and staff can talk to residents and their loved ones about the benefits and safety of vaccines.”

The positive trend described in both reports, however, is a rise in RSV vaccinations, which increased among nursing home residents from less than 7% in mid-November last year to nearly 18% this year. The first RSV vaccine was approved for older adults in 2023 and the CDC said people age 75 and older should get the shot.

The RSV vaccine is a single-dose shot — not an annual one — and is also recommended for those 60 and up with an increased risk of severe illness.

To protect infants, who are also more likely to get dangerously ill from an RSV infection, the CDC recommends a vaccine given to pregnant mothers, or an antibody shot for babies after birth.

Since June, RSV vaccine coverage among people ages 75 and older rose from 30% to nearly 40%, the CDC reported, and the rate in people ages 60 to 74 increased from 23% to just over 31%.