“Vaccine fatigue” following COVID-19 lockdown policies is blamed for declining vaccination rates against respiratory diseases in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world.
“A lot of other people want serious anti-flu, anti-COVID medical care when we can save them,” Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the World Health Organization, told Reuters.
In the United States, acceptance rates for the latest COVID-19 vaccine are lower: 17% of adults, with another 15% intending to receive the treatment.
Lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the U. S. The U. S. is for young people, with less than 8% of young people over the age of 6 months vaccinated.
Influenza vaccines in the U.S. fare better, with nearly 47% of adults and 57% of children being vaccinated for the 2022-2023 season.
In testimony before Congress, former White House COVID-19 policy adviser Anthony Fauci admitted that vaccine mandates may contribute to low vaccine confidence in the United States.
But vaccine skepticism is only an American problem.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has not yet published its vaccination reports for the continent, but early data demonstrate low COVID-19 vaccine uptake compared to pandemic levels.
Edoardo Colzani, an expert on respiratory viruses at the ECDC, said COVID-19 is “an unwanted new host” in Europe and that “COVID vaccination fatigue” is hampering support.
Studies from 2022 found that France, Sweden, and Spain had the vaccination hesitancy rates in Western Europe to settle for COVID-19 booster doses.
Russia has a vaccine skepticism rate, with only about 29% of respondents rejecting the 2022 booster doses.
Cases and hospitalizations similar to respiratory illnesses, COVID-19 and influenza, have increased in recent months in the northern and southern hemispheres.
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In December, the WHO reported about 850,000 new COVID-19 cases and 118,000 hospitalizations, an increase of 52% and 23%, respectively, since November.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that emergency room visits due to COVID-19 increased about 13% from November to December. Hospitalizations and deaths increased by 20% and 12%, respectively.