According to a study carried out by Lloyds Pharmacy 46% of Irish adults said they are planning on getting the flu vaccine this year.
Research shows, 74 per cent of adults claim that the COVID-19 pandemic has made them more aware of the importance of being vaccinated against viruses. However, 46 per cent of adults said that they are planning on getting the flu vaccine this year.
The research shows that since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic there has been an increase of 15 per cent of people who will visit their local pharmacy for advice.
The study also shows that 92 per cent of people believe washing hands regularly is the most effective way of stopping the spread of flu with 85 per cent saying maintaining social distance from others is the most effective way.
Among those who are planning to get the flu vaccine this year, but didn’t get the flu vaccine last year, almost 6 in 10 claim that this will be the first time they will get the flu vaccine.
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According to Lloyds Pharmacy, each year the seasonal flu vaccine contains four common influenza virus strains. The flu virus changes each year and therefore a new flu vaccine must be administered each year.
Denis O’Driscoll, LloydsPharmacy Superintendent Pharmacist highlighted the importance of vaccinations.
‘’We are encouraging the at-risk groups as always, but now more than ever we are calling on those who fall outside of those categories to play their part. While it is really promising to see that almost three quarters of adults surveyed said that the COVID-19 pandemic has made them more aware of the importance of being vaccinated.
“In order for the vaccine to be as effective as possible, we need as many of the population as possible to get vaccinated.”