How Effective Is The Flu Shot This Season?
Unfortunately, the flu shot is not as effective as it has been in previous seasons. As stated earlier, the flu season in 2019 was particularly deadly; this year is shaping up to be around the same. According to studies done by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu vaccine for the 2019-2020 flu season is around 36 percent effective. This means your risk of getting the virus and needing medical attention is reduced by a third.
The reason the flu shot is less effective this season is because of the H3N2 strain. Some experts hypothesize that use of growing inactive virus strands in eggs for the virus is causing the flu strain to adapt, therefore creating a mismatch against active flu bugs. Hopefully, researchers will be able to pinpoint the exact cause and be able to remedy this for next season.
