1705215591
Low vaccination rates against the latest versions of COVID-19 and influenza are putting health systems under pressure this winter, public health leaders told Reuters.
Increased hospitalizations related to respiratory infections have been reported in the United States, several European countries and other parts of the world in recent weeks. Mortality rates among older adults have also increased in some regions, but are well below the peak of the COVID pandemic.
The Spanish government has re-mandated the wearing of masks in health care facilities, as have some U.S. hospital networks.
Too many people need serious medical care for the flu, for COVID, even though we can prevent it, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s interim director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness.
She pointed to incredibly low flu and COVID vaccination rates in many countries this season as the world tries to overcome the pandemic and its restrictions.
Since a global health emergency was declared in May 2023, governments have struggled to communicate the risks still posed by COVID and the benefits of vaccination, according to infectious disease experts and health officials.
Only 19.4% of U.S. adults have received the COVID vaccine this season, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s National Immunization Study, even though all adults have received a current vaccination to protect against severe disease diseases is recommended.
In comparison, in the 2022-2023 season, approximately 17% of adults have received the bivalent booster shot, based on actual vaccination data reported to the CDC by states.
Nearly half of U.S. adults 18 and older have gotten a flu shot this season (44.9%), about the same as last year (44%), according to the CDC.
“We believe not enough people have received the updated COVID vaccine,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen said in an interview. People still don’t understand that COVID is a more serious illness than the flu.
VACCINE FATIGUE
Flu accounted for 5.2% of U.S. emergency visits in the week ending Dec. 30, while COVID accounted for 3%. Still, 10.5 per 100,000 hospitalizations during that time were due to COVID, compared to 6.1 per 100,000 for the flu.
Most of the updated shots used in the United States and the European Union are made by Pfizer with German partner BioNTech or Moderna.
In Europe, the flu is circulating at a higher rate than COVID, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Overall, 24% of a representative sample of tests in the final week of 2023 were positive, up from 19% in the previous two weeks.
The rates are consistent with previous flu seasons, said ECDC respiratory virus expert Edoardo Colzani. But now we have COVID-19 as a new, unwelcome guest, he said.
The ECDC does not have vaccination rates for the continent, either for flu or COVID, but Colzani said initial data shows COVID vaccination rates are well below pandemic levels.
In Europe, the new COVID vaccinations are only recommended for high-risk groups such as seniors and immunocompromised people. According to the WHO, 100% coverage should be achieved for these groups.
According to the WHO, COVID rates also increase in the Southern Hemisphere during the summer because it is not yet a seasonal virus.
Last month, 850,000 new COVID cases and 118,000 new hospitalizations were reported worldwide, up 52% and 23% respectively from November, according to the WHO, which added that the actual numbers were likely higher.
The vaccines are still very effective at preventing severe disease even if they don’t prevent infection, experts said.
A study from Karolinska Institutet and Danderyd Hospital in Sweden recently published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases found that the updated vaccine targeting the coronavirus variant XBB.1.5 reduced the risk of COVID hospitalization in people infected with newer variants those affected reduced by 76.1% based on public health records of adults over 65 years of age.
This year’s flu shot, offered by various manufacturers, is estimated to reduce the risk of hospitalization by 52%.
But COVID vaccination fatigue is hindering uptake, Colzani said.
In Italy, for example, 8.6% of the eligible population has received their third COVID booster after the first vaccination, health ministry data as of January 7 shows.
The data for the flu is not yet available, but a study by Federfarma, the association of Italian pharmacies, says 15% of Italians were vaccinated against flu this fall, compared to just over 20% last season. (Reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; additional reporting by Emilio Parodi in Milan and Andrew Silver in Shanghai; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Bill Berkrot)
#sees #incredibly #COVID #flu #vaccination #rates #case #numbers #rise #January #a.m