The 2019-2020 flu vaccine is estimated to be 45% effective overall and 55% effective in children. In comparison, the 2018-2019 flu vaccine was roughly 29% effective.
"The influenza vaccine protects against various strains, three or four, depending on which vaccine you receive," said Dr. William Schaffner, medical director for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Early 2019 to 2020 flu activity primarily was driven by influenza B/Victoria viruses, for which the vaccine is not a great match, Schaffner said. Later, flu activity shifted and the country saw a rising number of cases from the A/H1N1 viruses."The vaccine is exactly on target against this strain," Schaffner said.In general, influenza B is more common in children, while influenza A, also called H1N1, is more commonly seen in older adults, according to Dr.
So far, 16,000 people have died and 280,000 people have been hospitalized during the 2019-2020 flu season, according to preliminary estimates"The flu season began early this year and took off aggressively," added Schaffner."It began prominently in the southeastern states but quickly spread. So far, there is no sign that the momentum of the annual epidemic is slowing."In total, the CDC estimates that 29 million people have gotten the flu so far this season.
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