February 23, 2023 – The CDC says the flu vaccine was highly effective this yr, despite the fact that flu season began earlier and more severely than ever before.
“Vaccination provides significant protection against illness treated in the hospital, emergency room, or outpatient setting for all age groups,” said Dr. Mark Tenforde of the CDC’s Influenza Division, in response to CNN.
Health officials treasure that vaccinations this flu season have reduced the danger of hospitalization on account of the respiratory virus by nearly 50% in adults and nearly 75% in children.
Each season, the vaccine is different and is formulated prematurely to focus on the virus strains which might be predicted to be widespread. The accuracy of the predictions can vary widely. In the last few yearsEfficacy ranged from 29% to 40%, although previously it has dropped to as little as 10% and even 60%.
This season, flu cases peaked in late November and early December, when 26% of all tests got here back positive. The spike in the course of the vacation season sparked fears that the flu would overwhelm hospitals, a lot of which were already battling high levels of one other respiratory virus called RSV. Instead, flu cases have steadily declined, and currently just one.7% of all tests are positive for flu.
Authorities noted that the flu vaccine has been particularly effective in children this yr. However, deaths from the flu in children have risen back to almost pre-COVID levels. There have been 111 deaths from the flu in children thus far this season. There was one flu death in children within the 2020-21 season and 45 within the 2021-2022 season.
A brand new evaluation found that individuals ages 65 and older who received a flu shot were 39% less prone to visit the emergency room or urgent care center and 42% less prone to be hospitalized for the flu or complications from it. People with weakened immune systems, akin to cancer patients or organ transplant recipients, were 30% less prone to visit the emergency room or urgent care center for the flu.
So far this season, at the least 25 million people nationwide have been sickened by the flu, and 280,000 have been hospitalized and 18,000 people have died, in response to the CDC's latest study. weekly updateThe agency continues to recommend that everybody age 6 months and older get a flu shot while flu activity continues. Flu season typically ends in April or May.