DENVER — Many people have been putting off their latest flu shot and COVID-19 booster. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sounding the alarm, warning vaccination levels are low.
"It's not too late to still get a vaccine," said Dr. Michelle Barron, Senior Medical Director of Infection Prevention at UCHealth.
The holiday season is here, and with it, respiratory illnesses are in full swing.
Around the country, hospitalizations are up 200% for influenza, 50% for COVID and 60% for RSV in the past four weeks, according to the CDC.
Barron said they're seeing hospitalizations rise here in Colorado, too.
"We've been seeing COVID kind of uptrending for a while, and flu now has really taken off," Barron said. "And so now when you look at our numbers, I'd say it's about half flu and half COVID in terms of hospitalizations."
But even as hospitalizations rise, the number of people vaccinated against those illnesses is low. So low, the CDC is issuing a health alert.
"Honestly, I'm aghast at seeing the vaccination rates this year because I really thought after the COVID-19 pandemic, we all would have learned the value of vaccinations," 9NEWS Health Expert Dr. Payal Kohli said.
According to data from the CDC, around one in six adults have gotten their latest COVID-19 booster. For influenza, two in five adults and kids have gotten their shot.
The CDC reports flu shot numbers are down in all age groups compared to last year, with more than 7 million fewer doses administered.
"This kind of vaccine fatigue that we're seeing, where the numbers this year are lower than they were last year and people aren't getting the RSV, it really has me shocked," Kohli said.
When it comes to why, Barron said it's not always black and white.
"I think there's been a lot of people just A, don't want to think about it anymore, and I think with COVID not being front and center as it was, I think a lot of people have just also not really thought it's still an issue," Barron said. “I think when COVID first came through, there was a lot of people who were getting their flu shots because we were worried about 'oh my god, what if you get flu and COVID and all these things.' And again, I think that kind of fell off people's radars.”
With holiday gatherings likely to lead to germs spreading, Barron said hospitalizations for flu, COVID and RSV are only expected to rise into the new year.
But Kohli stressed much of that is preventable.
"So to protect ourselves, protect our kids, it's really important that we get those vaccines, and it's not too late," Kohli said. "So even now in December, as a Christmas present to yourself and to your family members, go and get those vaccines."
Doctors also urge people to utilize other good hygiene measures to cut down on further spread, including wearing a mask while traveling or in crowded areas and washing hands regularly.
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