Walgreens survey finds 70% of Americans planning to get flu shot
A new survey conducted by Walgreens found patients preparing themselves for a flu season that many expect to be on par with last year’s. The survey found 40% saying they expected the flu season’s severity to be the same as last year, and 12% who expected it to be worse. In anticipation, 54% said they planned to get a flu vaccine earlier this year, with 70% saying they expected to get a flu shot at some point this year.
However, the survey found that there is ground to gain in terms of getting patients immunized, as 32% of those surveyed said they hadn’t received a flu vaccine in the past three years. That’s despite roughly 80% saying that either they or a family member had suffered from the flu in the same time period. Of those who didn’t get a vaccine, 39% said they had avoided doing so because they believed the vaccine to be ineffective.
The survey also found that despite the severity of last year’s flu season — one of the worst in recent years — some 37% of respondents said they had gone to work while suffering from the flu. Additionally, 2-in-5 of those surveyed said they stay home to protect themselves from the flu.
Walgreens noted that since 2010, it has administered more than 60 million flu vaccines to patients.
However, the survey found that there is ground to gain in terms of getting patients immunized, as 32% of those surveyed said they hadn’t received a flu vaccine in the past three years. That’s despite roughly 80% saying that either they or a family member had suffered from the flu in the same time period. Of those who didn’t get a vaccine, 39% said they had avoided doing so because they believed the vaccine to be ineffective.
The survey also found that despite the severity of last year’s flu season — one of the worst in recent years — some 37% of respondents said they had gone to work while suffering from the flu. Additionally, 2-in-5 of those surveyed said they stay home to protect themselves from the flu.
Walgreens noted that since 2010, it has administered more than 60 million flu vaccines to patients.