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By Rishma Parpia | Published November 18, 2024 | VaccineReaction.org
A recent study published in U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) showed a decline in the uptake of COVID-19 shots among health care workers in the United States this year.1 During the 2023–2024 respiratory virus season, fewer than one in six health care personnel working in acute care hospitals and nursing homes reported receiving a COVID booster, and fewer than one-half of health care personnel working in nursing homes had received a flu shot.2
Findings from the study highlighted that only 15.3 percent of health care workers in acute care hospitals, 10.5 percent in nursing homes, and 12.7 percent of licensed independent practitioners reported receiving the updated COVID booster shot, a sharp drop compared to previous seasons.3 In the 2022-2023 respiratory virus season, 17.8 percent of health care workers in hospitals and 22.8 percent in nursing homes had received a COVID booster.4
This decrease comes after the expiration of a vaccine mandate for health care workers in June 2023, which had been implemented by the Biden administration during the earlier phases of the pandemic in 2021 and 2022. The end of government-funded COVID shots also likely played a role in this lower COVID shot uptake.5
Influenza Vaccination Rates Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels Among Health Care Workers
Vaccination rates for influenza were much higher than for the COVID booster. According to the CDC, 80.7 percent of health care personnel in acute care hospitals and 45.4 percent of those working in nursing homes received flu shots during the same period. Influenza vaccination rates among health care personnel in acute care hospitals remained consistent at around 81 percent during the current respiratory virus season, similar to last year. However, this rate is still significantly lower than the 91 percent coverage reported during the 2019–2020 season, indicating that influenza vaccination rates have not yet returned to the higher levels seen before the pandemic
This significant difference in COVID booster shot and influenza vaccine uptake highlights the challenges health authorities face in promoting the COVID booster, even among those working in environments that make them highly susceptible to viral infections. Public health professionals have pointed out that, while influenza vaccinations are generally accepted, COVID booster shots continue to face skepticism, with many health care workers expressing doubts about the shots long-term safety and efficacy.6
The CDC reported that health care workers who felt adequately informed about COVID shots were more likely to get vaccinated and to recommend the vaccine to their patients. The study found that “health care personnel who were sufficiently informed about COVID vaccination were 10 times more likely to take the shots and four times more likely to recommend the shots to their patients.”7
COVID and influenza vaccination rates were lowest among licensed independent practitioners working in acute care hospitals. The CDC stated that it is difficult to get non-employee health care workers vaccinated and challenging to track vaccinations that take place outside of the facility.8
The study concluded that influenza vaccination rates among healthcare personnel has not returned to 2019 levels, and the COVID shot uptake has continued to decline each season.9