The annual flu shot: Is it worth it? While federal, state and local health authorities recommend that most people get a flu shot each year, it has also been widely publicized that the flu shot’s vaccine effectiveness (VE) rating has not been particularly high in recent years. After peaking at 60 percent effectiveness during the 2010-2011 flu season, the flu shot’s VE rating dropped to just 19 percent four years later, and it has not been above 50 percent since the 2013-2014 season.
While the flu shot’s effectiveness rating is certainly something that needs to be monitored, this number alone is not indicative of the benefits of widespread immunization against influenza. Recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an infographic that demonstrates how important the flu shot was during the 2019-2020 flu season, even though its VE was just 29 percent. Here, vaccine injury lawyer Leah V. Durant discusses some of the most-notable statistics on the benefits of the annual flu shot from the CDC.
3 Notable Statistics from the 2019-2020 Flu Season
Infographic: 2019-2020 Flu Season: Burden and Burden Averted by Vaccination
1. The Flu Shot Prevented an Estimated 7.5 Million Illnesses
According to the CDC, the flu shot prevented an estimated 7.5 million illnesses during the 2019-2020 flu season, while an estimated 38 million Americans got the flu. The CDC’s data indicate that just over half (52 percent) of the U.S. population got the flu shot last year, which means that millions more cases of the flu could have been prevented with wider immunization.
2. The Flu Shot Prevented an Estimated 6,300 Deaths
During the 2019-2020 flu season, the CDC estimates that the flu shot prevented 6,300 deaths, while approximately 22,000 Americans died from the flu.
3. The Flu Shot Prevented an Estimated 105,000 Hospitalizations
While most people recover from the flu without the need for inpatient treatment, an estimated 400,000 people needed to be hospitalized due to flu-related complications during the 2019-2020 flu season. The flu shot prevented an estimated 105,000 hospitalizations, which not only saved these individuals from potentially-serious complications, but also helped to free up hospital beds for other people in need of medical care.
Another Notable Statistic: SIRVA Remains Among the Biggest Risks Associated with the Annual Flu Shot
Although the annual flu shot is generally safe for most people, each year a significant number of people experience complications not from the flu itself, but from their flu immunizations. One of the biggest risks in this regard is the risk of experiencing a shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA). While these injuries are entirely preventable, they continue to occur, and they can leave vaccine recipients struggling to cope with pain, physical limitations, expensive medical bills and other losses.
Learn more about the risks of SIRVA: What are the Risks of Getting a Flu Shot Too High on the Arm?
We Provide No-Cost Legal Representation for Flu Shot Injury Claims Nationwide
For individuals who are diagnosed with SIRVA and other flu-shot-related injuries and illnesses, financial compensation is available under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). To find out if you are eligible to file a VICP claim, call 202-775-9200 or request a free consultation with vaccine injury lawyer Leah V. Durant today.