Higher vaccination rate in the pandemic: Almost every second person aged 60 and over has been vaccinated against flu

27.09.2021 11:31

In the last flu season, significantly more people were vaccinated against influenza than in previous years. This is shown by a current evaluation by the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK). Accordingly, from September 2020 to the end of March 2021, almost every or every fifth TK insured person (18 percent) was vaccinated. In the 2019/2020 season it was only one in every or one in eight (12 percent) during the same period.

The rates have increased in all age groups, most notably among the elderly, for whom vaccination against influenza is expressly recommended. In the age group over 60, 46.5 percent were vaccinated, an increase of more than ten percentage points. The evaluation data also shows that the biggest jump occurred among 60 to 69 year olds: In this group, 39 percent of insured people were vaccinated in 2020/2021, compared to 27 percent in the previous flu season.

“It was important that more people, and especially older people, got vaccinated against flu during the corona pandemic. Because just like with the corona vaccination, you protect yourself and others,” says Dr. Jens Baas, CEO of TK. “This autumn it will again be important that the health system is not overloaded. We don't know how strong the flu epidemic will be. That's why risk groups in particular should protect themselves with a flu vaccination in the fall. The AHA rules also help to reduce the risk of infection.”

Vaccination rates higher in the east

In contrast to the corona vaccination, according to the evaluation, the eastern federal states have the highest vaccination rates: the leaders are Saxony-Anhalt (39 percent), Thuringia (31 percent) and Brandenburg (29 percent), while Bavaria is at the bottom (12 percent). There are no major differences between the sexes. While slightly more men than women were vaccinated among insured people aged 70 and over, slightly more women in the age groups under 70 opted for a flu vaccination. The biggest difference is in the group of 30 to 39 year olds, where almost six percent of men and 11 percent of women received a flu vaccination.