Wednesday, September 25, 2024 — Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) kicked off the 2024-2025 fall vaccination season during a news conference. Experts discussed the importance of protecting people this fall with recommended vaccines against flu, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and pneumococcal disease. A number of CDC reports (links below) were released today to coincide with this event. Dr. Cohen and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, who was also on the panel of experts moderated by NFID’s Medical Director, Dr. Robert (Bob) H. Hopkins, Jr, led by example and got their flu vaccines at the event.
Expert Quotes
- “I wouldn’t recommend something to the American people that I wouldn’t recommend for myself, family and loved ones.”
– Dr. Mandy Cohen - “We have the power to shape how this season is going to go. The best thing to do right now is to get vaccinated.”
– Dr. Mandy Cohen - “Now is the time to make sure folks are protected against COVID, flu, and RSV. There’s no time like the present to get those vaccines.”
– Dr. Demetre Daskalakis - “During the 2023-2024 flu season, there were between 380 000 and 900 000 flu hospitalizations. CDC estimates that flu vaccination prevented 105 000 to 240 000 hospitalizations. During the 2023-2024 typical respiratory virus season (October – April) there were an estimated 500,000-800 000 COVID-19-associated hospitalizations. COVID-19 vaccination likely prevented an additional 40,000-100 000 hospitalizations.”
– Dr. Demetre Daskalakis
Data Releases
Influenza vaccination coverage
Flu Vaccination Coverage, United States, 2023–24 Influenza Season | FluVaxView | CDC
Flu, Tdap, and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Pregnant Women – United States, April 2024 | FluVaxView | CDC
RespVaxView | RespVaxView | CDC
Updates on the 2024-2025 flu season
Information for the 2024-2025 flu season | CDC
Flu Resources | Flu Resource Center | CDC
Preliminary Estimated Flu Disease Burden 2023–2024 Flu Season | Flu Burden | CDC
Health Care Providers Update
Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory
Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2024–25 Influenza Season | MMWR (cdc.gov)
COVID
Staying Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines | COVID-19 | CDC
VRS
Immunizations to Protect Infants | RSV | CDC
Pneumococcal disease
Pneumococcal Vaccine Recommendations | Pneumococcal | CDC
* Note that COVID-19 circulates year-round, and these estimates don’t include hospitalizations outside the October-April period
