Dear Dr. Roach: How effective is the flu vaccine for seniors 65 and over? L.F.G.
Answer: Not as much as wed like it to be, but still a lot better than none.
The flu vaccine is created every year based on the best available knowledge of circulating strains, and each year is a little different. The vaccine for 2017-2018 was estimated to be about 40 percent effective, meaning people who got the vaccine were 40 percent less likely to need to see a doctor for the flu. Over 900,000 people were hospitalized for the flu, 58 percent of them…
