‘Vaccine Fatigue’: Why Tennessee has the highest flu activity in the country
One Vanderbilt doctor weighed in on the high levels of flu cases in Middle Tennessee.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - In some parts of the country, flu cases are starting to decrease, but according to the CDC that’s not happening in Tennessee. Dr. William Schaffner with Vanderbilt University Medical Center said the Volunteer State is seeing more cases partially because fewer people are getting their flu shots.
“There’s been a great deal of vaccine hesitancy, vaccine fatigue, people want to put COVID behind them and then don’t want to be bothered by flu,” Schaffner said.
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He estimates that Tennessee is in the bottom 10 states for lowest vaccination rates. That - combined with bad luck - is why he said the state has the highest flu activity in the country.
“There’s no telling, flu kind of strikes some parts of the country some years worse than others,” Schaffner said.
According to the CDC, in 2022 173 million Americans got vaccinated - in 2023, that number was at 155 million. People in Nashville have been noticing the trend.
“Most of the people around my age haven’t gotten too sick. It’s been like a really long cold, where they have like some fevers and aches and pains. But a lot of older people, it seems like it’s really scary,” Renee Smith said.
Smith works in a hospital, so, for her, she felt it was especially important to get vaccinated.
“It’s mostly the patients that are worrying if they come in, they’re not vaccinated or we’re scared of them getting sick. So I would encourage everyone to get vaccinated,” Smith said.
Schaffner says the three things you can do to stay healthy are to drink fluids, wear a mask, and get vaccinated.
“Vaccines benefit not only you but people around you, it reduces the chance that you will spread this virus to your friends and colleagues,” Schaffner said.
He predicts we will be seeing more cases through the next two months.
“Although it’s really quite late, if you’re in that high-risk group and haven’t had flu yet, please get the vaccine, because this virus is going to be with us well into February,” Schaffner said.
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