With Covid surging again and vaccine fatigue rising, vaccination rates for influenza are troublingly low, especially among older Americans.

Otherwise, despite urging by virtually every public health authority that seniors (and everyone else over six months old) be vaccinated against influenza annually, “I just didn’t do it because I don’t get sick,” she said.

William Schaffner very uneasy, especially this year.

“The preoccupation with Covid and a certain vaccine fatigue mean that people need to be reminded about flu,” said Dr.

Schaffner said.

Even if the flu season turns out to be moderate, with returns to school, work and travel, and with the rampaging Omicron variant, this could be the year that both flu and Covid patients swamp struggling hospitals and health systems.

Moreover, researchers are reporting that flu can lead to other health crises, especially in older patients.

Using data from Ontario residents (average age 77) who had influenza, “your risk of having a heart attack is six times higher during the seven days after testing positive” than in the year before or afterward, said Jeffrey Kwong, a senior scientist at ICES, a nonprofit research institute in Toronto.

has reported that last year — when public health strategies emphasized flattening the hospitalization curve, protecting essential workers and preserving resources for Covid patients — the proportion of older people who were vaccinated against flu rose 9.5 percent in selected jurisdictions.

study has found that three-quarters of unvaccinated Medicare beneficiaries actually visit a health care provider during flu season, with even more such “missed opportunities” among Black and Hispanic beneficiaries.

Older patients also may not be hearing strong enough recommendations from their health care providers.

Many patients rely primarily on specialists — endocrinologists, oncologists, nephrologists — who are not trained in routine care and don’t typically stock flu vaccines in their offices, Dr.

Schaffner said.

Schaffner said.

Two flu vaccines designed especially for the older population, Fluzone High-Dose and Fluad Quadrivalent, generate stronger immune responses

Schaffner has found that some of his patients are understandably weary of the whole subject: “They say, ‘You’re telling me I have to get another vaccine?’” His response, for their own health and for the sake of an already stressed health care system, is yes