Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination rates have slowed — a trend that could be worsened by the nation's pharmacy workforce issue.
For the past few years, the percentage of people who received a flu shot has hovered at about 50 percent, which is a slight bump from pre-pandemic years when that figure was about 45 percent, CDC data shows. But so far this year, flu vaccination coverage among adults is lower than usual, CDC officials said in early November.
When split up by age, the percentage of flu vaccinations were lower among all age groups in the 2021-22 season compared to 2020-21. For Americans between the ages of 6 months and 49 years old, that trend has continued since the fall of 2019.
This decrease in flu vaccinations could be attributed to pharmacy staffing shortages and lower reimbursement rates, Anthony Pudlo, PharmD, executive director of the Tennessee Pharmacist Association, told NBC-affiliate station WRCB.
It isn't a new issue — pharmacies have struggled for years to hire and retain enough pharmacy technicians. With fewer people doing more work, pharmacy workers have experienced strains to their mental health, Dr. Pudlo said.
"I'd say a lot of pharmacies can feel like they're at a breaking point," Dr. Pudlo told WRCB. "I would even say some of this was pre-pandemic. There was a growing dissatisfaction with some aspects of the workplace."