Flu, COVID vaccinations lag on Long Island compared with NYS
Federal health officials recommend that everyone 6 months and older receive updated vaccinations for both COVID-19 and influenza, ideally in fall or early winter. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Long Island lags behind the state in the number of people getting the COVID-19 or flu vaccines this season, according to the latest state Health Department figures.
Experts worry about that lack of coverage in the holiday season and the ensuing winter waves of respiratory illnesses, though Newsday has reported COVID hospitalization and case positivity rates are much lower than last year.
On Wednesday, state Health Commissioner James McDonald declared that influenza was "prevalent" in the state, pointing out that lab-confirmed cases in New York, outside of New York City, were up 75% over the previous week. That also means that health care workers who did not get a flu vaccination and work for facilities or agencies regulated by the state must wear masks.
"I think we’ve seen that slow and steady decline in vaccinations for flu ... following the decline in vaccinations for COVID-19," said Dr. Matthew Harris, a pediatric emergency department specialist who served as medical director for Northwell Health’s COVID-19 vaccination program.
Harris noted there was some vaccine hesitancy before the COVID-19 pandemic that was compounded by vaccine fatigue when mandates were implemented.
Statistics show 22% of New Yorkers outside the five boroughs received the flu vaccine as of Dec. 11, including 18% of eligible people in Suffolk County and 21.5% in Nassau County.
Just 9.2% of those outside the city received the updated COVID-19 vaccine, including 6.2% of people in Suffolk and 6.4% in Nassau. Last year as of Dec. 8, about 10.2% of New Yorkers outside the five boroughs had received their updated COVID-19 vaccine. (Those figures are an undercount since COVID-19 shots no longer have to be reported to the state.)
"I think there’s two things that are probably happening here," said Andrew Pekosz, professor and vice chair of the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, about the declining vaccine rates across the nation.
"There is a vocal minority that is talking about inaccuracies and using misinformation to push their platform of not liking vaccine mandates," he said. "People are also hearing the high volume and the rhetoric and just don't know what to do. They hear people saying very scary things about certain vaccines and that causes them to hesitate."
That hesitancy could be elevated in the coming months as incoming President Donald Trump and his pick to run the nation’s Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have both expressed opposition to some vaccine mandates and linked vaccines to a long-debunked theory that they cause autism.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone 6 months of age and older receive updated COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations, ideally in fall or early winter to help stave off serious illness.
In recent years, public health messages about the COVID-19 vaccine have focused on people over age 65, who are at the highest risk of becoming seriously ill, along with those who have compromised immune systems and certain health conditions.
While children make up a smaller percentage of COVID-19 patients, experts said there are many reasons for them to be vaccinated.
"They do work in younger age populations, and they do reduce the amount of disease that's present in the population," said Pekosz. "When the message is ‘We're trying to protect the elderly population,’ people who aren't in that population feel like, ‘Oh, that means that I don't need it.’ There is that benefit to society of having more people vaccinated because that will lower the overall burden of disease in the population."
The highest percentage of vaccinations for both the flu and COVID-19 are among people 65 and over, according to state figures. For example, 45.4% of people 75 and older in Suffolk and 43.4% of people in that age group in Nassau received a flu shot in recent months. Statewide, the number is 50%.
But Pekosz pointed out the percentages that are available for COVID-19 vaccinations are much lower than flu, even in the older groups.
"That shows you some people will take the flu vaccine, but not the COVID-19 vaccine, when in fact both are the tried and true and verifiable best strategies for people over the age of 65," he said.
Harris said parents appear to be more willing to get their kids vaccinated against the flu, which causes thousands of children to be sick and hospitalized every year. In Nassau, 34.3% of children age 4 and younger have received a flu shot this season, while in Suffolk the corresponding figure is 25.2%.
The CDC said nationally, 36.6% children received a flu vaccination as of the end of November. Last year, it was 43.7% at that same point in time.
Pekosz said he expects more people to get vaccinated as flu and COVID-19 illnesses increase in the coming weeks.
Harris said instead of scaring people who are hesitant about vaccines, clinicians and other public health officials need to regain their trust by showing them that they work.
"We need to reengage with the public to have faith in the traditional vaccines like flu and in the technology that supports things like the COVID-19 vaccines," Harris said. "I think that we really have an uphill battle in front of us."
Long Island lags behind the state in the number of people getting the COVID-19 or flu vaccines this season, according to the latest state Health Department figures.
Experts worry about that lack of coverage in the holiday season and the ensuing winter waves of respiratory illnesses, though Newsday has reported COVID hospitalization and case positivity rates are much lower than last year.
On Wednesday, state Health Commissioner James McDonald declared that influenza was "prevalent" in the state, pointing out that lab-confirmed cases in New York, outside of New York City, were up 75% over the previous week. That also means that health care workers who did not get a flu vaccination and work for facilities or agencies regulated by the state must wear masks.
"I think we’ve seen that slow and steady decline in vaccinations for flu ... following the decline in vaccinations for COVID-19," said Dr. Matthew Harris, a pediatric emergency department specialist who served as medical director for Northwell Health’s COVID-19 vaccination program.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- The number of people receiving the flu or COVID-19 vaccines continues to decline, and Long Island lags behind the overall state numbers.
- Health experts are concerned that the lack of vaccinations will leave more people vulnerable to serious illness due to the flu or COVID.
- Doctors said they must regain the trust of parents and patients who are more hesitant about vaccines.
Harris noted there was some vaccine hesitancy before the COVID-19 pandemic that was compounded by vaccine fatigue when mandates were implemented.
Statistics show 22% of New Yorkers outside the five boroughs received the flu vaccine as of Dec. 11, including 18% of eligible people in Suffolk County and 21.5% in Nassau County.
Just 9.2% of those outside the city received the updated COVID-19 vaccine, including 6.2% of people in Suffolk and 6.4% in Nassau. Last year as of Dec. 8, about 10.2% of New Yorkers outside the five boroughs had received their updated COVID-19 vaccine. (Those figures are an undercount since COVID-19 shots no longer have to be reported to the state.)
"I think there’s two things that are probably happening here," said Andrew Pekosz, professor and vice chair of the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, about the declining vaccine rates across the nation.
"There is a vocal minority that is talking about inaccuracies and using misinformation to push their platform of not liking vaccine mandates," he said. "People are also hearing the high volume and the rhetoric and just don't know what to do. They hear people saying very scary things about certain vaccines and that causes them to hesitate."
That hesitancy could be elevated in the coming months as incoming President Donald Trump and his pick to run the nation’s Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have both expressed opposition to some vaccine mandates and linked vaccines to a long-debunked theory that they cause autism.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone 6 months of age and older receive updated COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations, ideally in fall or early winter to help stave off serious illness.
In recent years, public health messages about the COVID-19 vaccine have focused on people over age 65, who are at the highest risk of becoming seriously ill, along with those who have compromised immune systems and certain health conditions.
While children make up a smaller percentage of COVID-19 patients, experts said there are many reasons for them to be vaccinated.
"They do work in younger age populations, and they do reduce the amount of disease that's present in the population," said Pekosz. "When the message is ‘We're trying to protect the elderly population,’ people who aren't in that population feel like, ‘Oh, that means that I don't need it.’ There is that benefit to society of having more people vaccinated because that will lower the overall burden of disease in the population."
The highest percentage of vaccinations for both the flu and COVID-19 are among people 65 and over, according to state figures. For example, 45.4% of people 75 and older in Suffolk and 43.4% of people in that age group in Nassau received a flu shot in recent months. Statewide, the number is 50%.
But Pekosz pointed out the percentages that are available for COVID-19 vaccinations are much lower than flu, even in the older groups.
"That shows you some people will take the flu vaccine, but not the COVID-19 vaccine, when in fact both are the tried and true and verifiable best strategies for people over the age of 65," he said.
Harris said parents appear to be more willing to get their kids vaccinated against the flu, which causes thousands of children to be sick and hospitalized every year. In Nassau, 34.3% of children age 4 and younger have received a flu shot this season, while in Suffolk the corresponding figure is 25.2%.
The CDC said nationally, 36.6% children received a flu vaccination as of the end of November. Last year, it was 43.7% at that same point in time.
Pekosz said he expects more people to get vaccinated as flu and COVID-19 illnesses increase in the coming weeks.
Harris said instead of scaring people who are hesitant about vaccines, clinicians and other public health officials need to regain their trust by showing them that they work.
"We need to reengage with the public to have faith in the traditional vaccines like flu and in the technology that supports things like the COVID-19 vaccines," Harris said. "I think that we really have an uphill battle in front of us."
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
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Newsday Live Music Series: Long Island Idols Newsday Live presents a special evening of music and conversation with local singers who grabbed the national spotlight on shows like "The Voice," "America's Got Talent,""The X-Factor" and "American Idol." Newsday Senior Lifestyle Host Elisa DiStefano leads a discussion and audience Q&A as the singers discuss their TV experiences, careers and perform original songs.
