Less than a quarter of US adults have received a Covid booster vaccine this year and only a third have got their flu shots, a CDC report shows.
Just 17.9 percent of adults aged 18 years and older had got the new shot against Covid by the week ending November 9.
Adults over 65 years old, who are most at risk from the virus, were most likely to have got the shot, but uptake was still low — with less than 40 percent getting the booster.
For flu vaccinations, 34.7 percent of over-18s had got the vaccine for this year’s flu season with over-65s again most likely to have received it, with uptake at 50 percent.
The CDC says that everyone aged six months and over should get the flu vaccine and a Covid booster shot every year – but Americans are said to be suffering from ‘vaccine fatigue’ post-pandemic.
It comes as the US heads into the annual respiratory viruses season, with flu activity now considered low across much of the country. In two states — Louisiana and Georgia — it is considered minimal.
The CDC has revealed uptake of flu, Covid and RSV vaccines so far this year
The above graph shows vaccine uptake over time
CDC data showed that uptake of both flu and Covid vaccines had crept up slightly compared to last year, amid the relaxation of Covid restrictions and some vaccine mandates.
For the Covid booster shot, 4.7 percent more adults got the vaccine by November 9 this year compared to the same period last year.
And for the flu shot, 0.9 percent more adults had got the vaccine this year compared to the previous year.
A total of 39.7 percent of those aged 75 years and older had also received the RSV vaccine, which is recommended for older adults to reduce the risk of illness.
Among those aged 60 to 74 years old, 31.6 percent had received the updated shot.
Those who were uninsured were less likely to get the Covid and flu shots, the CDC said.
The agency added that there were more adults who said they were intending to get the shots, with more than 60 percent of adults saying they would get the flu vaccine and more than 50 percent saying they would get the Covid vaccine.
Nine to 41million people catch flu every year in the United States, data suggests, while 900,000 are hospitalized and 34,000 die.
By state, Maryland had the highest proportion of people who had been vaccinated against flu, at 50.5 percent.
And Vermont had the highest proportion of people who had been vaccinated against Covid, at 33.9 percent.
At the other end of the scale, uptake was lowest in Puerto Rico where 5.2 percent of people had received the Covid vaccine and 17 percent had received the flu vaccine.
