Fewer healthcare workers are getting the flu vaccination in Oregon, according to new data from the Oregon Health Authority.
The data shows that 85% of healthcare workers received a vaccine in the 2019-20 flu season.
This year, that number is down to 52%.
The steepest declines were seen in nursing facilities, where 25% of staff are verified to have been vaccinated. That’s down from 67% in 2019.
Vaccinations for ambulatory surgery centers are flat in the past two years at 62%, down 19 percentage points from their pre-pandemic level.
Hospitals continue to see a decline from 88% in 2019 to 57% in the most recent year.
Dialysis centers and inpatient psychiatric facilities both have seen some rebound after steep declines in the pandemic years.
An OHA physician who examines the numbers said vaccinated healthcare workers help prevent further spread of the illness.
"When flu vaccination rates among health care workers drop, the risk of transmission to vulnerable patients rises,” said OHA Healthcare Associated Infections Program Medical Director Dr. Dat Tran. “Vaccination also can help reduce worker illness and absenteeism, and prevent disruption to patient care."
One reason rates have declined is a decrease in information on flu vaccination status.
Healthcare facilities such as hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and ambulatory surgery centers must report vaccinations and informed declinations to the state each year.
Vaccination status couldn’t be verified for 29% of workers in the most recent data, meaning their employer did not have documentation to verify if the employee was vaccinated.
“During the [seven flu season] period, the unknown status rose from 7% to 29%, but declinations also rose from 8% to 19%,” said Tran. “So that suggests that incomplete documentation is part of the picture, but it does not explain the entire reported decline.”
While the low numbers concern Tran, he said there is still time for healthcare providers to lessen the risk of flu spreading in their facility.
“We’re still early in the flu season,” said Tran. “Facilities can still take actions to make vaccination easy by offering it on site at no cost and across shifts. They can provide clear information, answer worker’s questions, use reminders, consider incentives and include contractors and volunteers in their vaccination efforts.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommend people over 6 months old be vaccinated against influenza each year, so long as they do not have a condition or circumstance that indicates they should not.
