This season's flu vaccine did a poor job of protecting against the dominant strain, according to a report released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The vaccine shielded against a mild case of the virus by 16 percent, which was "considered not statistically significant,” the report said.
The vaccine can still offer protection against more severe illness, hospitalizations or death, and “might protect against other influenza viruses that could circulate later in the season,” the report said.
Early CDC #fluvaccine effectiveness results show vaccination didn’t reduce the risk of mild/moderate flu from the most commonly circulating flu virus this season. Studies looking at how well flu vaccine worked to prevent serious flu outcomes are ongoing: https://t.co/2OthOMTSo5 pic.twitter.com/1qybCajzcc
— CDC Flu (@CDCFlu) March 10, 2022
The shot is still recommended for ages 6 months and older, according to the CDC.
The report was based on data from 3,636 children and adults who got the flu between October and mid-February.
The CDC says this flu season has been relatively mild compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic.
