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Survey finds flu vaccination rates have leveled off among New Jersey seniors

Anthony Vecchione//February 21, 2019//

Survey finds flu vaccination rates have leveled off among New Jersey seniors

Anthony Vecchione//February 21, 2019//

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Have you gotten your flu vaccine?

Results from the February Clover Health Flu Shot Monitor survey reveal that vaccination rates are unchanged from last month’s findings.

Data from that survey, released Thursday, showed that only 66 percent of New Jersey adults aged 60 and older had gotten a flu shot.

According to health care professionals, this data indicates a troublesome trend in vaccinations as flu activity continues to ramp up in the region.

According to Clover Health, 63 percent of seniors surveyed nationally in February had received the vaccine, unchanged from January.

The latest Flu Shot Monitor results are prompting Clover Health, a Medicare Advantage insurer, to urge all Garden State residents to get vaccinated.

“I am continuing to see patients of all ages who are presenting with the flu or flu-like symptoms,” said Dr. Marc Feingold, an in-network Clover physician and member of New Jersey’s Consensus Health Network in a statement.

“Getting vaccinated remains the best protection against the flu for seniors and it’s much easier to prevent this disease than treat its complications. The flu shot also helps to prevent spreading the virus to other vulnerable members of our community.”

An estimated 15.4-17.8 million Americans have gotten sick with the flu since October, according to the most recent report from the CDC. Though flu season is expected to last at least into March and has even stretched into May in recent years, far fewer people report getting vaccinated against the virus past late November – a dangerous trend, especially for senior citizens.

The Clover Health Flu Shot Monitor also found that: New Jersey seniors that live alone are far less likely to get vaccinated – only 52 percent of local seniors that live alone have gotten flu shots, compared to 68 percent of those who do not; while 64 percent of male seniors in the state surveyed have gotten a flu shot, just 61 percent of female seniors have been vaccinated this season; 70 percent of New Jersey seniors with a household income of $75,000 or more have received a flu shot, versus 57 percent of those earning $35,000-$74,999, and just 55 percent of those earning less than $35,000; just 54 percent of working New Jersey seniors have received a flu shot, compared to 66 percent of non-working seniors

The Flu Shot Monitor from Clover surveyed seniors in New Jersey and across the U.S. to track the percentage of adults 60 and older who get vaccinated throughout this flu season.  

The survey was conducted by Wakefield Research of 300 adults 60 plus in New Jersey. The national survey was of 1,000 adults 60 years and older throughout the U.S.