Vaccination towards influenza and COVID-19 at the moment lags amongst folks 50 and older, based on a nationwide survey.
Forty-two p.c of individuals over 50 haven’t gotten both flu or COVID-19 vaccines up to now six months, based on the College of Michigan’s Nationwide Ballot on Wholesome Growing old survey. In response to information, solely 29% have acquired each vaccinations and solely 27% have acquired a flu shot.
The ballot additionally requested about COVID-19 vaccination because it turned out there in 2021: 49% of individuals over 50 mentioned it’s been greater than a 12 months since their final dose, and 15% mentioned they’ve by no means acquired it.
The main cause folks over 50 gave for not getting up to date vaccines?
They didn’t assume they wanted them.
In all, 28% of individuals over 50 who didn’t get a flu vaccine up to now six months, and 29% of those that didn’t get a COVID-19 vaccine up to now 12 months or ever, gave this as the primary cause.
That’s regardless of clear proof displaying that staying updated on each vaccines reduces the danger of significant sickness and demise in older adults, whose immune programs want common “reminders” with up to date vaccines tailor-made to current mutations within the viruses.
Coming in second amongst causes for not getting vaccinated not too long ago had been worries in regards to the vaccines’ unwanted side effects (19% for flu and 27% for COVID-19), adopted by a perception that the vaccines aren’t efficient (18% and 19%, respectively).
Far fewer (10% for flu and 6% for COVID-19, respectively) mentioned they only didn’t consider it. Just a few (4% and three%) wished to attend, and from 1% to 4% cited time, value, insurance coverage, availability or eligibility issues.
From late December 2025 to mid-January 2026, the ballot staff requested 2,964 US adults age 50 and over in the event that they’d gotten a flu vaccine dose within the final six months, and when their most up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination was. Then, the staff requested those that hadn’t sought vaccination not too long ago their important cause why.
Along with revealing causes older adults didn’t get up to date vaccines, the brand new ballot information present some key variations in vaccination amongst totally different teams of individuals 50 and over.
The oldest adults (age 75 and over)– these with the very best threat of hospitalization and demise from each viruses – had the very best charges of up to date vaccination.
In all, 46% of these age 75 and up mentioned they’d gotten a COVID-19 vaccine within the final six months, in contrast with 37% of these age 65 to 74 and 20% of these age 50 to 64.
Flu vaccination was even greater in all age teams, with 76% of these within the oldest age bracket having gotten the newest flu shot, in contrast with 64% of these age 65 to 74 and 42% of these of their 50s and early 60s.
“These findings counsel that we should do a a lot better job serving to folks of their 50s and up perceive that they’ll profit from getting these up to date vaccines annually, that the vaccine unwanted side effects are gentle and short-lived, and that even when they later get contaminated and develop signs, vaccination means they received’t get as sick,” mentioned Jeffrey Kullgren, MD, MPH, MS, the ballot’s director, an Affiliate Professor of Inner Drugs on the U-M Medical Faculty and a main care doctor on the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.
