Pharmacies Increase Popularity in Flu Vaccination

During the 2010-2011 flu season, there was a rise of supermarkets and pharmacies as a popular place to receive flu vaccinations. A report by the CDC in Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report stated that while nearly 40% of adults still received their vaccinations at a doctor’s office, supermarkets, pharmacies, and other similar stores came in second with over 18% of the vaccinations being held there. Workplaces came in third with over 17%. This is a substantial rise, as in the 2006-2007 season only 7% of adults were vaccinated in supermarkets and pharmacies. The overall number of people being vaccinated in pharmacies and supermarkets went up exponentially as well, from about 6 million in 2006-2007 to 17 million in 2010-2011.

There are many factors that could contribute to this rise in flu vaccinations in alternative locations, including many states changing their laws to allow pharmacists to administer influenza vaccinations to adults, causing the vaccinations to become more widely available at these locations. But regardless of why the vaccinations are becoming more prevalent, it is important that they are, as they reach audiences that would not normally receive flu shots. This includes those who have not been do a doctor in over a year (with 53.5% of people in this category going to a nonmedical setting), as well as those populations who are non-Hispanic white and college educated.

The CDC’s report went on to show other comparisons as well, including that those patients over the age of 65 were more likely than younger patients to receive the vaccination in a supermarket or pharmacy, and younger patients were more likely to receive it in the workplace than supermarkets or pharmacies. It is good to see the increase in people receiving the influenza vaccinations, and hopefully the new avenues to receive the treatment will encourage even more people to get the vaccination.

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