The Weeks in (Low) Numbers (to the 3rd December)

So why such low rates?

12-78%

Is the seasonal influenza vaccine coverage in the EU and its European Economic Area (EAA). The European Centres for Disease Control (ECDC), in its latest report lamented:

“The seasonal flu vaccination rate for people aged 65 and over during the 2023-2024 season varied significantly between countries, from 12% to 78%, with only two countries exceeding 75% vaccination coverage in this age group. This underscores the need for more focused vaccination efforts”.

How about the UK, which ECDC no longer monitors?

24.6%

of Children aged 4 to 16 have been vaccinated against influenza so far (updated to 28 November 2024).

Urging the UKHSA on the 28 November to issue an appeal for more people to get vaccinated. The UKHSA is at pains to point out that the children vaccinated so far had “the spray vaccine”. ‘Many are still missing out,’ they cry.

35%

is the coverage of the immunosuppressed still according to the UKHSA:

‘However, there is real concern that many of those at greatest risk of serious illness and hospitalisation, people with long-term health conditions and/or who are immunosuppressed, have not take have not taken up the offer of a free vaccine.‘ Did anyone tell the UKHSA that nothing is free - someone's taxes must pay for all this activity?

31%

Is the coverage for pregnant women - Note that it's for the ‘Flu vaccine”, whatever that means:

‘Pregnant women are also eligible for a flu vaccine, to protect them and their baby during pregnancy.’

Revisiting the F Word

70%

For those aged 65 or more, it is 70% still, according to the same UKHSA document.

14%

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) the median coverage for people aged over 60 years for Covid vaccines in 2023-24 was 14%,

For 28 countries, specifically the ECDC reports:

Quite clearly, even the best vaccines in the world cannot do much with such low rates of coverage. No one knows the critical breakthrough point, but with an effective vaccine like MMR, this is usually below the 90% mark, although this may vary according to local conditions.

All the cited documents do not mention why such low rates appear consistently throughout Europe.

You would have thought that after years of frightening people with plagues and pandemics, vaccine coverage for the F word “flu”, beloved by politicians and those trying to be “people of the people”, would have been sky high. And what about Covid?

Governments, mainstream media and academics have consistently recommended vaccination against influenza (which they call “flu”) and Covid.

Perhaps the people know something the government agencies don’t know.

So why such low rates?

This post was written by two old geezers considering summarising the evidence for the threat, transmission and prevention with vaccines of Covid and influenza but are waiting for readers' feedback. The evidence has already been primarily presented in our near 800 posts, but some may like to have it all “handy”.

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One more for good measure - 28

Among the 28 countries reporting data, The ECDC reports seven countries reported data disaggregated by at least one of the following target groups: healthcare workers, individuals with chronic conditions, or pregnant women (Table 2).