More than three-quarters of American adults didn't get a COVID shot last season, a figure that healthcare experts warn could rise this year amid new U.S. government recommendations. [MEDPAGE Today]

The COVID vaccine was initially popular. About 75% of Americans had received at least one dose of the first versions of the vaccine by early 2022, CDC data show. But only about 23% of American adults got a COVID shot during the 2024-25 virus season, well below the 47% of American adults who got a flu shot. The vaccination rates for flu, measles, and tetanus are also going down.

Yet COVID remains a serious, potentially deadly health risk, listed as the primary cause of death on roughly 31,400 death certificates last year. By comparison, flu killed about 6,500 people and pneumonia, a common complication of the flu, killed an additional 41,600, CDC data show.

As millions of Americans decide whether to get a COVID shot this season, public health researchers worry vaccination rates will slide further, especially because Hispanic and Black Americans and those under 30 have lower rates, exposing them to serious complications such as long COVID. 

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