Flu Vaccination Rates Among Oregon Health Care Workers Lagging

The latest data from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reveals that influenza vaccination rates among health care personnel have not rebounded from the significant declines experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to OHA’s Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Program, the Healthcare Worker Influenza Vaccination Dashboard reported that 64% of eligible health care workers across various facility types received the flu vaccine during the 2022-2023 flu season. This rate remains relatively unchanged from the previous season’s 63%, which has raised concerns among state officials who aim to protect high-risk individuals from severe illness and death.

Notably, the data shows a 25% drop in influenza vaccination rates among eligible health care workers between the 2019-2020 and 2022-2023 influenza seasons.

Rebecca Pierce, Ph.D., the HAI Program manager, stressed the importance of vaccinating health care workers, referring to them as the first line of defense against severe respiratory viruses. She emphasized that this vaccination is crucial for infection control in healthcare facilities.

The OHA requires annual reporting of health care worker influenza vaccination data from four facility types: ambulatory surgery centers, dialysis centers, hospitals (including inpatient psychiatric facilities), and nursing facilities. These data are self-reported by the facilities and include information on health care worker vaccination, declinations, medical contraindications, and unknown vaccination statuses.

According to the 2022-2023 data, hospitals reported the highest vaccination rates at 69%, followed by ambulatory surgery centers at 67%, while nursing facilities were at 41%. Inpatient psychiatric facilities and dialysis facilities had the lowest rates at 35%. Although rates for dialysis centers and hospitals saw a slight increase from the previous season, they still fall below rates from before the pandemic.

The pandemic had a significant impact on influenza vaccinations among health care workers, a trend that reflected the historically low influenza rates during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 flu seasons. With flu transmission returning to pre-pandemic levels, there’s an urgent need to rebuild vaccination rates among this critical workforce.

The proportion of eligible health care workers declining flu vaccination has increased over the years. For the 2022-2023 flu season, 15% declined, compared to 11% during the previous season. Moreover, a notable 21% of health care workers reported having an unknown vaccination status, highlighting the need for improved documentation of vaccination status at the facility level.

To achieve the Healthy People 2020 goal of 90% influenza vaccination coverage for the health care workforce, Pierce recommended several steps for health care facilities. These steps include encouraging all health care workers, including contractors and volunteers, to get vaccinated at the beginning of every influenza season. Facilities can also host promotional activities, offer vaccines at no cost to employees, initiate incentive programs, and maintain comprehensive records of vaccination status while requiring declination forms for those who decline vaccination. Oregon continues to use the Healthy People 2020 goal as a guide for public health action and to identify areas requiring more support and education.