Are people getting the flu shot or not in Southwest Florida?
NBC2 set out to answer that question by conducting an unofficial poll in Cape Coral.
While the poll had a small size, the results leaned heavily one way: just 20% of people had gotten a flu shot, while 80% had not gotten it.
“You know, I'm not entirely surprised by that,” Lee Health’s Dr. Iahn Gonsenhauser said of the results. “We're definitely thinking about vaccines differently than we have in the past. And I think that's a result of the pandemic and COVID. More of a personal choice, less of a mandate. Less requirements for flu vaccine, and that's definitely decreasing the number of people that are going out and getting in."
An analysis of data conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoed that perspective. A summary of its analysis found that “for adults, after an initial increase in flu vaccination coverage in the season immediately following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, coverage has steadily declined since the 2020–21 season.”
The CDC recommends that anyone 6 months and older — with rare exceptions — should get the flu vaccine.
While it’s recommended people get the shot in October, the CDC has said vaccination can continue as long as viruses are circulating.
“It is a fairly effective vaccine, up to 70% protection against serious influenza,” Gonsenhauser explained. “The flu vaccine again is safe, it's effective, there are very few physical, medical reasons why exempting yourself from that flu vaccine makes sense."
He explained that getting the vaccine — even if you are completely healthy — can help protect those who are at risk.
“I understand certainly that your health care, your body is a personal choice. What you do and how you protect it. This is one where I think there's so much impact on the community around you that I'd like to see us put that community first and foremost,” he said.
The flu shot can be combined with other vaccines, like the updated COVID-19 vaccine. They are available for free at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens.