Doctors Telling Patients Get Flu Shot this Season
Author: Sermo
Published: 2020/10/25 - Updated: 2023/09/22
Publication Type: Announcement / Notification
Topic: Coronavirus Information - Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis Introduction Main
Synopsis: Majority of U.S. doctors (92%) tell patients to get the flu shot and majority of physicians and doctors worldwide believe second wave of COVID-19 likely.
• While physicians always recommend flu shots, the fact that almost all are recommending that patients receive a vaccine sooner rather than later.
• Some Sermo members expressed concern a second wave could occur in the late fall or winter and be compounded by influenza, common respiratory viruses and other seasonal viruses.
Introduction
Week 14 of Sermo's COVID-19 Real Time Barometer survey(1) revealed that 92 percent of physicians in the United States are recommending that patients get their annual flu shot as soon as possible in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In New York and California, the number of physicians recommending a flu shot immediately jumps to 96 percent and 94 percent, respectively.
Main Item
The Real Time Barometer is an observational study of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak as reported by physicians with firsthand experience treating COVID-19 patients. Each week, thousands of physicians provide insights on topics regarding the global health crisis. To date, Sermo has conducted over 60,800 interviews with doctors in 31 countries, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Brazil, Russia, China, Japan and Australia.
While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) traditionally recommends patients receive a flu shot by the end of October to help combat the virus during flu season, almost all (85%) of the 2,400+ Sermo doctors surveyed from September 17-20 across 31 countries are encouraging their patients to receive a flu shot immediately.
Sermo is the largest healthcare data collection company and social platform for physicians, reaching 1.3MM healthcare professionals across 150 countries. The platform enables doctors to anonymously talk real-world medicine, review treatment options via our proprietary Drug Ratings platform, collectively solve patient cases, and participate in medical market research.
"Each year, the flu sickens millions and hospitalizes hundreds of thousands of people during the fall and winter months. The elderly are especially hard hit every year," said Peter Kirk, Sermo CEO. "While physicians always recommend flu shots, the fact that almost all are recommending that patients receive a vaccine sooner rather than later shows just how concerned they are about the potential for flu to deplete valuable resources in the middle of this historic pandemic."
The survey also found that physicians, like everyone else, are already planning on either eliminating or sharply curtailing travel plans during the holiday season because of COVID-19. Worldwide, 68 percent of physicians said that their holiday travel plans are 'significantly impacted' by the pandemic. Overall, in the U.S., 66 percent of physicians said they didn't plan to travel with their families, but those numbers jumped to 83 percent and 70 percent in New York and California, respectively.
Other Findings From The Survey Include:
- As many as 65 percent of physicians worldwide indicated that they had ordered a COVID-19 test for a patient while 42 percent said they have treated a patient for COVID-19.
- In the U.S., 70 percent of physicians have ordered a COVID-19 test while 44 percent said they have treated a patient for the illness.
- In New York, the numbers increase to 76 percent and 47 percent, respectively. In California, the percentage of physicians ordering tests mirror those nationwide.
The numbers follow the belief physicians have that a second surge of COVID-19 cases is on the horizon. Globally, 93 percent of physicians expect a second wave of cases as the Northern Hemisphere enters the fall and winter months, and people spend more time indoors.
In Related News from Sermo
81% of U.S. Physicians and 62% of Doctors Worldwide Believe Second Wave of COVID-19 Likely
Sermo's COVID-19 Real Time Barometer survey, conducted with nearly 4,000 physicians across 31 countries from June 10-12, reveals 81% of physicians in the United States believe a second wave of COVID-19 - defined as "a sharp increase in cases after achieving extended periods of low growth rates" - is likely to occur. Sixty-two percent of physicians in other countries, such as France, Korea and Australia, feel a second wave is likely.
"I feel certain there will be a second wave of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths, particularly in areas that have overly relaxed social distancing and mask wearing in a rushed attempt to return to 'normalcy'," said David Karpf, MD, endocrinologist at Stanford Health Care.
Some Sermo members expressed concern a second wave could occur in the late fall or winter and be compounded by influenza, common respiratory viruses and other seasonal viruses. When asked about preparedness for a second wave, only one-third (34%) of global physicians reported they expect their state or region of their country would be prepared, and a quarter (26%) are not confident lessons learned would be fully applied to a second spike.

Are We Prepared Locally?
- In California, where new cases are increasing, 87% of doctors surveyed feel a second wave is likely, yet only 39% are highly confident their state will fully apply past learnings.
- In Illinois, where strict guidelines have been in place since mid-March and residents are preparing to enter phase 4 later this week, 75% of doctors feel a second wave is likely. Only 10% of Illinois physicians surveyed are extremely confident the state will fully apply what was learned in wave one to wave two.
- In New York, once the epicenter of the outbreak, 76% of doctors surveyed expect to experience a second wave, and more than half (51%) have confidence in how people would handle it. How are physicians holding up?
The return to some level of normalcy is a complex process that requires balancing the risk of infection and transmission with the physical and mental effects of isolating, canceling summer camps, shuttering schools, continuing the work from home practice, and more.
As the general public has experienced an increase in anxiety over finances, health, safety, relationships and other issues, physicians are enduring their own professional stressors. Among physicians who have experienced more stress than usual in the past week, Sermo found:
- 63% attributed the increase to implementing new processes to see patients in the office.
- 58% attributed it to financial concerns (whereas 38% of doctors in the rest of the world feel their increased stress is due to finances).
- 36% attributed it to uncertainty about how to treat COVID-19.
"Our data reflects the voice of physicians worldwide, and in this recent wave, we hear their concern about possible peaks, second waves and preparedness," said Peter Kirk, Sermo CEO. "Physicians stress the importance of remaining vigilant against the coronavirus otherwise many countries will find themselves back to square one."
Anger Spreads Against COVID-19 Anti-vaxxers As Cases Rise
Attribution/Source(s):
This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its significant relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Sermo, and published on 2020/10/25 (Edit Update: 2023/09/22), the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Sermo can be contacted at sermo.com. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.