New York is claiming itself as one part of a larger U.S. flu epidemic. The flu shot has been shown to be ineffective this year according to a number of sources.
Apparently, people 65 and older are refusing to get a flu shot even though the CDC remains a staunch advocate of taking the shot. The CDC and other pro-flu-shot sources claim that although the flu shot has proven less than desirable in terms of preventing flu, it is “better than nothing.” But that hasn’t motivated those 65 and older to go out and get one. In fact, the government says that less than half of those 65 and older have received a flu shot.
According to New York Upstate
A Medicare beneficiary who lives in Cayuga County, for example, was about 1 1/2 times more likely to get a flu shot this season than a Medicare beneficiary in the Bronx.
As of Feb. 1, 47.5 percent of New Yorkers over 65 enrolled in the Medicare fee-for-service program had gotten flu shots. Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people over 65 and the disabled.
You can view a per county breakdown here.
The bad press that this year’s flu shot has received will likely result in a push for more mandatory flu shot workplace environments, particularly among health workers who are already embattled by such policies.