As the temperature starts to drop, less than half of Americans plan on getting the new COVID-19 vaccine while more than half plan on getting a flu shot.
Forty-three percent of respondents in the survey conducted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center said they have gotten a COVID-19 vaccine and plan on getting an updated inoculation.
Meanwhile, 56 percent of respondents said they have already gotten a flu shot or plan to get one.
The more than 1,000-person survey found a significant number of people plan to not get any more vaccines. Thirty-seven percent of people said they have gotten a vaccine in the past but do not plan on getting one again.
“We’re at the start of respiratory virus season when you have the triple threat of flu, COVID-19 and RSV. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about vaccinations, but the reality is that they are safe and highly effective in preventing serious illness and death,” said Nora Colburn, medical director of clinical epidemiology at Ohio State’s Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, in a statement.
“Older adults, people with certain chronic medical conditions and those who are pregnant are especially at risk during respiratory virus season,” Colburn added.
After a summer surge of COVID-19, cases of the disease are still climbing in at least three states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A high or very high level of COVID-19 was being detected in wastewater in almost every state in the U.S earlier this summer, according to the CDC. As of Sept. 7, most states were still reporting high levels of the virus in their wastewater, but cases are likely falling in some areas.
Cases are declining or likely declining in 31 states while they are growing in three states, the CDC said in a data update earlier this week. In another 13 states it was unclear if cases were increasing or declining.
Doctors still encourage everyone apart from babies younger than 6 months to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine. Physicians recommend that adults and children older than age 6 get a flu shot every year.
