This Year's Flu Shots Are A 'Very Good Match' To Circulating Strains, Health Officials Say

This year's flu shots match the circulating strains well, early data show.

his year's flu shots appear to be a "very good match" to the circulating influenza strains, health officials say. However, even though flu season got off to an unusually early start, vaccination rates, especially among adults, are lagging those seen this time last year.

"I can tell you firsthand: This year's flu season is off to a rough start," Dr. Sandra Fryhofer (opens in new tab), the board chair of the American Medical Association and an internist, told reporters during a news conference (opens in new tab) Monday (Dec. 5). "We've forgotten how bad the flu can be. But this year's season is a shout out that it can get really bad and it's here, so people need to get vaccinated."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) latest flu surveillance report (opens in new tab), more than 19,500 patients with influenza were admitted to hospitals between Nov. 20 and Nov. 26, compared with roughly 11,200 people hospitalized the week prior (opens in new tab).

So far this season, 14 children have died of the flu, half of whom died between mid- and late-November.

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As of Nov. 19, about 154.1 million doses of flu vaccine had been administered in the U.S., the CDC reported (opens in new tab). An estimated 40% of the country's children and adolescents ages 6 months to 17 years had gotten a flu shot as of that date — about the same fraction as had by the same date last season. However, adults seem to be lagging slightly: As of mid-November, 51.7 million doses had been given to adults, compared with 54.1 million by the same time last year, the CDC reported (opens in new tab).

Likewise, vaccination rates among vulnerable adults have been low compared with last season. For example, as of October, vaccinations among pregnant people were down 12% compared with the same time last year, and among people ages 65 and older, the rate was down about 3%, Dr. Rochelle Walensky (opens in new tab), director of the CDC, told reporters Monday. These groups, children younger than 5, and people with heart disease, asthma, kidney disease and diabetes face the highest risk of complications and death from influenza.

It's not too late to get a flu vaccine, and real-time data suggest that this year's shots are protective against the circulating strains. "The good news is that it looks like it is a very good match," Walensky said.

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