Worried about about possibility of a tough flu season, officials urge vaccinations

Worried that a difficult flu season might be ahead this fall and winter, federal officials are renewing their call for people to get both COVID-19 and flu shots in the coming weeks.

“With a potentially challenging flu season ahead, I urge everyone to protect themselves and their families from flu and its potentially serious complications,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news conference Tuesday. “Schedule your flu vaccine today.”

Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, tweeted Monday that “we’re likely to see a significant flu season,” and warned that the flu and COVID-19 “can pose a real threat this fall & winter. ”

“Go get your updated COVID vaccine and annual flu shot — before Halloween,” he urged. “Make sure others in your life do the same.”

The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, which hosted the Washington news conference where Walensky made a virtual appearance, said a survey it commissioned had found that 49 percent of US adults plan to get a flu shot during the 2022-2023 flu season, even though 69 percent agree flu shots are the best way to prevent flu-related deaths and hospitalizations.

The survey, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, also found widespread reluctance to getting a flu shot and a COVID-19 shot at the same time, which federal officials have suggested. Only 32 percent were extremely or very confident about the safety of getting the two shots in tandem.

“These survey data are concerning. The updated COVID-19 boosters are safe and convenient to get at the same time as a flu vaccine,” Patricia A. Stinchfield, the foundation president, said in a statement.

In a change from pre-pandemic flu seasons, 58 percent of adults said they would wear a mask at least sometimes during flu season, the foundation said.

“Flu has the potential to hit us hard this year,” said Dr. William Schaffner, the foundation’s medical director. “On a positive note, we have more preventive behaviors in our toolbox than we did before the COVID-19 pandemic. We are more accustomed to wearing masks and staying home when sick.”

The CDC said that between 12,000 and 52,000 people a year typically die in the United States of flu and related complications. Flu activity often begins to emerge in October. “Most of the time flu activity peaks between December and February, although significant activity can last as late as May,” the agency said, although the timing has been less predictable since the start of the pandemic.

September and October are “generally good times to get vaccinated,” the CDC said. Ideally, people should be vaccinated by the end of October but “vaccination after October can still provide protection during the peak of flu season,” the agency said.

Experts are worried that flu may hit hard this year after Australia, which is just emerging from its winter, had its worst flu season in five years.

Material from prior Globe stories was included in this report.

Martin Finucane can be reached at [email protected].