Flu Vaccines Have Delivered Significant Protection This Year 

Early data shows flu vaccination reduces severe outcomes across all ages

Flu vaccine effectiveness changes each year, depending on the person being vaccinated, circulating flu strains, and how well the flu vaccines “match” the influenza strains in circulation. This year, despite the rough early start to the flu season, we now know that flu vaccines have provided considerable protection against influenza illnesses and related outcomes, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Preliminary data on flu vaccine effectiveness for the 2022-23 flu season from CDC clinical surveillance networks and clinical trial researchers has showed that 2022-2023 flu season vaccines substantially reduced flu-related hospitalizations and outpatient medically attended care in both children and adults.

Data on this season’s flu vaccine effectiveness from CDC surveillance networks indicate how flu vaccinations benefited a range of people, including:

• Children—Data from the New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN) showed that children who received flu vaccines had a 68% lower chance of hospitalization due to flu-related illness or complications. They also had a 42% lower likelihood of visiting an emergency department (ED).

• Adults—Data analyses from the Investigating Respiratory Viruses in the Acutely Ill (IVY) Network showed that adults had a 43% lower rate of flu-related hospitalizations. Notably, adults between 18 and 64 years had an even greater reduction (51%) in the likelihood of flu-related hospitalization.
  
  Data from VISION VE, another CDC surveillance network, confirmed these findings. Vaccinated adults monitored in the VISION VE network had a 44% lower likelihood of visiting an ED or urgent care center; they also had a 39% lower chance of being hospitalized due to the flu or flu-related complications.

• Older adults (aged 65 and older)—The IVY Network found that adults aged 65 and older, who tend to be at higher risk of serious flu outcomes, had a 35% lower chance of being hospitalized due to influenza. Similarly, results from VISION VE data analyses found that vaccinated adults aged 65 and older were 39% less likely to seek care at an ED or urgent care facility; they were also 42% less likely to require hospitalization for the flu or its complications.

• Adults with a documented immunocompromising condition—Data from the IVY Network showed that immunocompromised adults who were vaccinated for the flu had a 44% lower likelihood of being hospitalized for flu-related complications. Likewise, data from the VISION VE network found that adults who were immunocompromised had a 30% lower chance of visiting the ED or urgent care for the flu; they were also 31% less likely to require a hospital stay due to complications from the flu.