The city Health Department on Wednesday released early flu vaccination data for this year’s influenza season, showing substantial increases compared with the same time last year.
From July 1 to Oct. 24, there was a 37% increase in the number of people age 19 and older who received a flu vaccine compared with the same time last year: 706,693 individuals this season, up from 517,676 last season, the department said. As for children, there was a 27% increase in those ages 6 months to 18 years: 503,507 this season, up from 397,626.
Overall, more than 1.2 million New Yorkers have received this year’s flu vaccine, based on doses entered into the citywide immunization registry, the department said. However, because adults are not required to be reported, as children are, it is likely that more doses have been given.
The numbers are promising, as efforts continue to try to ward off a Covid-19 and flu “twindemic,” according to public health experts.
“Many of the patients that we serve have cormorbidities—these are our at-risk population,” said Cindy-Lou Killikelly, vice president for nursing at the Institute for Family Health, a network of federally qualified health centers in the city and the Mid-Hudson Valley. “Their perspective is, by getting the flu vaccine early, they can protect themselves from at least the influenza virus.”
The institute serves more than 115,000 patients annually, regardless of their ability to pay. It said this month that it was awarded nearly $200,000 in funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand access to the seasonal flu vaccine in the Bronx.
“We are caring for the entire family,” Killikelly said. “We are positioned [as a community health center] to develop that trust and education, and encourage our patients to take the flu vaccine.”
Citywide, efforts are continuing. Health care providers have said it is important for as many New Yorkers to get vaccinated as possible. Therefore, Killikelly said, it’s important that people know the vaccine is safe and has been tested over time.
Last month a survey of New Yorkers by nonprofit health insurer EmblemHealth, headquartered in the Financial District, found nearly half of respondents were more likely to get a flu vaccine this fall due to the Covid-19 crisis. There is a need for ongoing outreach about vaccination, especially in communities of color that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, the insurer said.
Also last month, the New York State Health Foundation issued a report on preparing for flu season during the Covid crisis.
“Key actions include prioritizing communities at higher risk for the flu; increasing vaccination access; tailoring public health messaging to resonate with New York’s diverse population; and countering rising vaccine misinformation triggered by the development of a coronavirus vaccine,” the foundation wrote.
The city Health Department noted Wednesday that many community health centers and hospital clinics, along with all New York City Health and Hospitals clinics, provide no- or low-cost flu vaccines. The city is partnering with such locations as well as with certain Covid testing sites to offer the flu vaccine. It’s also deploying teams of community-based vaccinators at pharmacies, places of worship and other locations.
In normal years, there are about 2,000 deaths from seasonal influenza and pneumonia, which can develop as a complication of the flu, according to the department.
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