Do health-care workers typically decline annual flu shots?
The Centers for Disease Control reported that during the 2019-20 flu season about 81% of U.S. health-care workers got a flu shot, similar to rates in the previous five years. Coverage was highest among physicians, at 98%, and lowest among staff at long-term care facilities, at 69%.
The general acceptance of flu shots contrasts with reports of widespread hesitation to receive new COVID-19 vaccines, even as cases and deaths rise across much of the U.S. “More than three weeks into the campaign, some places are seeing as much as 80% of the staff holding back,” the AP reports.
Official statistics aren't available, but the low take-up has resulted in states reviewing their vaccination rollout plans. South Carolina has indicated it might prioritize other populations. Georgia has already redistributed vaccines meant for health-care workers to other frontline workers.
