There’s excellent news and bad news in the newest flu season update.
In line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some parts of the U.S. are already seeing the primary signs of flu activity slowing down.
Though seen as a great sign considering that the flu season hit the country early and hard this yr, official data showed that the general activity of the virus remained high across the U.S.
Based on the update published by the CDC on its website last Friday, the week after Thanksgiving witnessed a ten% drop in hospitalizations after the country recorded the season’s worst yet the week prior.
Flu activity has remained high nationwide, but the general public health agency noted that this was not an indication that the virus has peaked.
Furthermore, experts consider that vacation gatherings could make an enormous difference in spreading respiratory viruses.
As a consequence of the approaching surge in cases, health leaders have once more encouraged the general public to get vaccinated, especially since COVID-19 continues to plague the country alongside the flu.
“We have now the tools, we’ve got the infrastructure, and we’ve got the know-how to administer this moment,” White House COVID-19 response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha was quoted as saying by CNN.
Nonetheless, convincing everyone to get the vaccines has develop into even tougher this yr. In comparison with previous years, tens of millions fewer flu vaccines have been distributed this season.
Updated data from the CDC showed that only 26% of U.S. adults had gotten their flu jabs by the tip of October. Meanwhile, only 43% of youngsters had gotten their flu vaccines by the tip of November.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set a 70% goal vaccination rate in its Healthy People 2030 plan. But for the past decade, only lower than half of the population took the time to get the annual flu shots.
Public health experts said this yr has been probably the most difficult since more people have already grown bored with hearing concerning the vaccine shots and are reluctant to get vaccinated.
“There’s an important deal of vaccine fatigue on the market. Asking people this yr to get not only one vaccine but to get the annual influenza vaccine, in addition to the Covid booster, has really been what I actually have called a tough sell,” Dr. William Schaffner told CNN in a separate report.
Schaffner is the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.