The flu shot is one of the best weapons in Canada’s arsenal to combat what health experts are calling a 'multi-demic' of flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 that is making people sick and straining health-care systems.
And in terms of the flu, for older adults, the outcomes from infection are far worse. Though those 65 and older make up one fifth of the population, they account for more than half of hospitalizations due to flu and 70 per cent of deaths, according to the Institute.that only 48 per cent of Canadians reported receiving the flu vaccine in the 2021-2022 flu season, which is far below the 93 per cent at the time who reported getting two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
But the Institute states the numbers are “stubbornly” stuck at 70 per cent for those 65 and older, as uptake rates were similar in the previous three years. For adults who reported not receiving the shot in the 2021-2022 flu season, 30 per cent said there was no specific reason, they just “didn’t get it”. That was the most common response.
Older adults are not being given enough information about the risk of flu and higher chance of hospitalization and death, as the survey found that people over 65 believed they were healthy and therefore didn’t need the shot, despite the evidence of risk, the institute states. Travelling to get the shot, especially during the colder months, was reported as an inconvenience for Canadians, particularly for older adults. Offering shots at the same time would save multiple trips, it explained.preventing older adults specifically from being protected, is patchwork coverage of the enhanced flu vaccine.
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