Long Island is facing a concerning drop in COVID and flu vaccination rates, far below the national average. Hospitals are urging people to mask up as cases of COVID, flu, and RSV surge. Experts cite vaccine hesitancy and fatigue as contributing factors to the decline in vaccination rates.
COVID and flu vaccination rates on Long Island have plummeted well below the national average. Stacey Sager reports from Valley Stream on the rise in COVID, flu and RSV cases. With flu, COVID and RSV infections on the rise amid the holiday season, hospitals in New York and New Jersey are issuing an urgent plea: mask up! New York State says flu is now prevalent and is requiring workers in health care settings to wear masks.
RWJ Barnabas Health in New Jersey is also recommending staff members to mask up. At Valley Stream Pediatrics, 3-year-old Kylah got a flu shot. Dr. Marc Lashley of Allied Physicians Group on Long Island, is wishing all his patients would do the same. The latest vaccination numbers from New York State and the CDC are not encouraging. As of last week, in Nassau and Suffolk counties, the COVID vaccination rate was a little more than 6% whereas nationally it's at 20%. As for the flu shot, Nassau and Suffolk are reporting fewer than 22% vaccinated, when nationally, the flu vaccination rate is more than 38%. 'So, having low rates of vaccination, particularly for daycare and kindergarten children, is a very big concern,' said Dr. Sharon Nachman of Stony Brook Children's Hospital. 'Those kids, as we know from other studies, are the ones who bring flu home to the rest of the family.' Experts say it's vaccine hesitancy and vaccine fatigue after the pandemic that's what's driving the numbers lower. It's been the case with the COVID vaccine for a while, but now, it's the case for other vaccines as well. In addition, doctors on Long Island told Eyewitness News that RSV cases have now reached double digits at most Long Island hospitals, with kids getting the virus at a higher rate here than across the country. While there is no RSV vaccine for school children, there is an injectable antibody for infants, which unlike a vaccine, can prevent the virus immediately, and therefore prevent more serious illnes
COVID-19 Flu RSV Vaccination Rates Long Island
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