Truth About the Tridemic: Don't Delay Vaccines
December 2022
Mount Sinai South Nassau “Truth in Medicine” Poll: Residents Have Little Fear of “Tridemic” Threat
- Poll shows public reluctant to get vaccines, won’t adjust plans for the holidays
Despite the rising rate of community transmission of flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)—and the reality that all three diseases are spreading in a “tridemic” across New York City, Long Island, and beyond—results from the latest Mount Sinai South Nassau “Truth in Medicine” Poll indicate that the public’s urgency to get vaccinated for flu and COVID-19 is low.
Fewer than two-thirds (61 percent) of 600 poll respondents have received a flu vaccine since September 1, 2022, while just 56 percent of respondents have updated their COVID-19 vaccination with a bivalent booster.
“It makes me sick” and “I never get one” are the two main reasons for those who have not had, and don’t intend to get, a flu vaccine. As for those who will not get a COVID-19 bivalent booster: they “do not believe it is safe” or they “do not believe they need it.”
“This fall and winter, the flu is highly contagious along with COVID-19 and RSV,” said Mount Sinai South Nassau President Adhi Sharma, MD. “The flu and COVID-19 vaccines have been updated, and they are safe and very effective. I strongly urge people to take action now and get vaccinated.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that, so far this season, there have been at least 8.7 million illnesses, 78,000 hospitalizations, and 4,500 deaths from flu. The CDC’s latest 7-day daily average report for new hospital admissions for flu from November 23–29, 2022, was 4,201. This is a 17.6% increase from the prior 7-day average (3,572) from November 16–22, 2022.
Those who should give strong consideration to following Dr. Sharma’s advice are unvaccinated individuals, including those among the 36 percent of respondents who said they plan to attend large holiday gatherings and among the 60 percent of respondents who have minimal concern for mingling in large groups.
A study published in the April 2022 edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that the risk of COVID-19 infection was markedly higher among unvaccinated people than among vaccinated people when they mixed at gatherings, with unvaccinated people contributing to infections among those who were vaccinated at a rate higher than would have been expected based on contact numbers alone. It also found that as like-with-like mixing increased, infection rates among vaccinated people decreased from 15% to 10% and increased from 62% to 79% among unvaccinated people.
The waning urgency to get vaccinated, low public awareness of the tridemic threat, and the fact that 93 percent of the poll respondents said they are not considering any changes to their plans for the holidays is of significant concern, said Dr. Sharma.
Truth About Cell Phones
Parents in the metro area strongly support a ban on cell phone use in schools and agree that social media companies...
Read More
Truth About Medical Aid in Dying
More than one-third of metro area residents support legalized medical aid in dying (MAID, also referred to as physician-assisted death)...
Read More
Truth About the Updated COVID-19 Vaccine
Only 15 percent of area residents have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine, according to results...
Read More
Truth About Prescription Weight Loss Drugs
Nearly one-third of metro area residents consider themselves overweight and almost one-quarter...
Read More
Truth about the Tridemic: Don't Delay Vaccines
Poll shows public reluctant to get vaccines, won’t adjust plans for the holidays...
Read More
Truth About Mental Health Services
Many Long Islanders Struggle to Find Needed Mental Health Service...
Read More
Truth About Government & COVID-19 Testing
More than 80 percent of metro area residents say the government should be doing more...
Read More
Truth About Vaccine Boosters
75 Percent of vaccinated Metro Area Residents Say They Will Get a COVID-19 Booster Shot...
Read More
Truth About COVID-19: Poll 3
More than 50% of Metro Area Residents Polled Do Not Plan to Get COVID-19 Vaccine...
Read More
Truth About COVID-19: Poll 2
Two-Thirds of Metro Area Residents Would Forgo Sporting Events, Movies, and Public Transportation...
Read More
Truth About COVID-19: Poll 1
More than half of metro area residents said they would get a vaccine to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus...
Read More
Truth About Stress
Poll results show women under 50 are most stressed out as holidays approach...
Read More
Truth About Vaping
Eighty percent of parents think vaping is addictive, and 63 percent think that it is unsafe...
Read More
Truth About HPV
More than one-third of parents are not aware of CDC recommendations to vaccinate...
Read More
Truth About Marijuana
Fifty-percent of metro area New York residents support legalizing recreational marijuana...
Read More
Truth About Screen Time
Metro-area children are spending an average of 3.41 hours/day of screen time for non-academic purposes...
Read More