New influenza vaccine effectiveness data presented at the U.S. CDC’s June 22, 2022 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) show flu shots worked better during 2021 – 2022 than initially reported.
Published on June 23, 2022, this ACIP data shows flu shots reduced the risk of influenza illness by about 35% among vaccinated people.

Leading researchers recently hypothesized that Covid-19 vaccination rates could be associated with influenza vaccination rates.

If the U.S. government declares an influenza pandemic, a new vaccine production facility located in Holly Springs, North Carolina, is certified and ready to go.
New Jersey-based Seqirus announced today that the company's innovative manufacturing facility has successfully achieved all criteria required to establish domestic manufacturing capability for cell-based seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines as outlined by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

According to a recent retrospective cohort study conducted at the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain, when adults were hospitalized with COVID-19, they were at a greater risk of death than those with influenza.
After accounting for potential confounders, including age, comorbidities, sex, disease severity, pneumonia, and corticosteroid treatment, these researchers found that COVID-19 patients were more than three times as likely to die after being admitted to hospital than influenza patients.

The recent announcement from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continued expanding westward and is now impacting about half of U.S.

A global leader in influenza prevention recently announced a significant investment in a new Research and Development (R&D) facility located in Waltham, Mass. 
Seqirus, a business of CSL Limited, confirmed on February 7, 2022, the new facility will support the company’s growing R&D portfolio, focusing on a self-amplifying messenger RNA (sa-mRNA) technology platform, the next generation of mRNA technology. 

In a new study from the University of Copenhagen, vaccination against influenza was found to not change the risk of hospitalization or symptoms due to COVID-19.
And influenza vaccination was not associated with the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection as assessed by the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. 
This study focused on the working population and subgroup analyses of outcomes related to the severity of disease included a sparse number of HCW aged ≥65 who had contracted SARS-CoV-2.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced initial estimates for influenza vaccine uptake among children and pregnant women for the 2021-2020 flu season are lower compared to the same time last season.
The reported 15% point drop in influenza vaccination coverage among pregnant women and a 6% decrease in children could put many people at risk this flu season. 
The CDC stated on October 27, 2021, this trend ‘could be dangerous for many of the people in these groups who may be at higher risk of developing serious influenza complications.’

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported two previous human infections with novel influenza A viruses.
One infection with an influenza A(H1N1) variant (A(H1N1)v) virus was reported by North Dakota that occurred during the 2020-21 influenza season.
And one infection with influenza (A(H3N2)v) virus was reported by Ohio that occurred during the current 2021-22 influenza season. 
Both patients are younger than 18 years of age, were not hospitalized, and have recovered or are recovering from their illness. 

The latest data indicates the 2021 flu season has not arrived in America from the Southern Hemisphere, and neither have influenza-related fatalities.
Of the 15,625 samples tested by U.S. Public Health Laboratories last week, only two were positive for influenza viruses as of October 1, 2021.