# Annual flu death rate and vax **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 29, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-flu-death-rate-and-vax/850596 "2020-03-29T17:32:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-flu-death-rate-and-vax/850596/1 "2020-03-29T17:32:24Z")
COVID-19 rates keeps getting compared to annual flu rates. Of the annual deaths for which flu is the cause, what percentage of those people had had their annual flu vaccination? To ask it another way, if most or all people had an annual flu vaccination, how much would annual flu mortality decrease? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-flu-death-rate-and-vax/850596/2 "2020-03-29T17:54:23Z")
I don’t have a specific answer but a general comment about why answering might be difficult. Those most vulnerable to death by way of influenza and its complications tend to have the poorest response to the vaccine. Their getting the vaccine only helps so much even if they all got it. The younger and healthier OTOH die from influenza less commonly but have a more robust vaccine response. If the younger and healthier were closer to universal immunization rates the older and more vulnerable would be the biggest beneficiaries. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2020, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annual-flu-death-rate-and-vax/850596/3 "2020-03-29T18:04:25Z")
[An article that addresses the question.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743512000588) > [@](#): > > The objectives of vaccination coverage proposed in the United States — 80% in healthy persons and 90% in high-risk persons — are sufficient to establish herd immunity, while those proposed in Europe — only 75% in elderly and high-risk persons — are not sufficient. The percentages of vaccination coverage registered in the United States and Europe are not sufficient to establish herd immunity. … Vaccine efficacy is considered roughly 63% for the young and healthy and drops significantly as the population ages. Roughly 40% of Americans get vaccinated, only half the target, and not enough to get to close to herd immunity levels…