Flu hospitalization rates 80% higher for Black adults compared to white adults, study finds

Hospitalization rates due to influenza were nearly 80% higher for Black adults in the United States when compared with rates for white adults, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hispanic adults and American Indian/Alaska Native adults were also hospitalized with the flu at higher rates compared with white adults, according to the report.

In addition, only 42% of Black adults and 38% of Hispanic adults received the flu vaccine last year compared with 54% among white and Asian adults and 41% among American Indian/Alaska Native adults.

The new vital signs report highlights stark racial and ethnic disparities in flu illnesses and vaccine coverage by examining hospitalization data between 2009 and 2022 as well as flu shots administered between 2010 and 2022.

Local experts said these findings reflect long-standing disparities in health care.

“This is not surprising at all,” said Dr. Jennifer H. Mieres, chief diversity and inclusion officer at Northwell Health. “It’s really an urgent call for redesigning health care to build partnerships with our communities, especially our vulnerable communities.”

Flu can lead to severe illness, especially in people who are older and have chronic health conditions. Experts said the best way to protect against the flu and serious complications is for people to get vaccinated.

Although flu season is just getting started, state health officials warned the illness is already considered widespread across New York, with 44 counties reporting lab-confirmed cases as of Oct. 3. They also noted cases were reported in higher than usual numbers in September.

The CDC estimates there were between 8 million and 13 million flu illnesses, 82,000 to 170,000 flu hospitalizations and 5,000 to 14,000 flu deaths between October 2021 and June 2022.

According to the report, flu hospitalization rates were 30% higher for American Indian/Alaska Native adults and 20% higher among Hispanic adults when compared with white adults.

CDC officials said the disparities can be traced to a number of issues, ranging from lack of access to health care and insurance to misinformation and distrust of vaccines.

“Misperception about how serious flu can be and misinformation about vaccine safety have hurt flu vaccination uptake for years,” said Carla Black, a public health researcher with the CDC’s Immunization Services Division and one of the authors of the study, during a call with reporters. “Systemic racism and historical events might help explain why some people from racial and ethnic minority groups do not trust health care systems and the government’s health-related guidance.”

Lower percentages of Black and Hispanic New Yorkers received a flu shot last year than white New Yorkers. The CDC estimated that in New York, 60% of white, non-Hispanic people received a flu shot in the 2021-22 season, while the percentage for Black, non-Hispanic people was 46% and 49% for Hispanic people.

The report said building trust in communities, making the vaccine more accessible and working with health care providers who are culturally sensitive could help boost vaccination rates among racial and ethnic minority communities. Researchers said it’s key to find “trusted messengers” in every community who can help with outreach and battle misinformation.

“What was successful with the COVID-19 vaccine was to have a more deliberate community outreach to provide those vaccines for people in a way they can’t avoid,” said Martine Hackett, director of public health programs at Hofstra University. “It’s important to provide flu shots in places where people are shopping or getting together and to recognize that also needs to be within these communities.”

The Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital vaxmobile, a mobile vaccination clinic, has started administering flu shots in recent weeks as well as COVID-19 boosters, according to spokesman Joseph Calderone.

“We have targeted minority communities where vaccination rates were lower than other areas,” he said. “The Vaxmobile staff repeatedly has visited communities like Elmont, Hempstead, Uniondale and Freeport in an effort to make it as easy as possible to provide vaccines for those in these communities.”

Calderone said the vaxmobile staff includes a Spanish language interpreter to field questions from people who might be hesitant about vaccines or want basic information.

Early estimates from the CDC show flu vaccinations across the nation are down slightly from last year. For example, an estimated 7.5 million flu vaccinations were administered in pharmacies as of Sept. 24, compared with an estimated 7.9 million at the same time in 2021. An estimated 4.2 million flu vaccinations were administered in physicians' offices as of the week ending Sept. 24, compared with an estimated 5.7 million at the same time in September 2021.

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

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.