Half of Americans Who Need an RSV Vaccine Have Never Heard of It, Survey Finds

Key Takeaways

• A poll taken this summer found that many people don’t yet know about the new RSV vaccines.

• The FDA approved two vaccines to protect against RSV in adults aged 60 and older in May.

• RSV produces mild symptoms in many adults, but can advance to severe disease in older adults and young children.

Pharmacies and doctors’ offices are now stocking an important vaccine adults 60 and over should consider getting this fall. But many people who might benefit from the shot don’t know it exists.

The vaccine offers protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In fact, there are actually two RSV vaccine options: both a shot from pharmaceutical company GSK and a shot from Pfizer earned FDA approval in May.

Related: FDA Greenlights a Second RSV Vaccine for Older Adults

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that older adults talk to their doctor about getting the shot, a new survey by researchers at AARP and the University of Michigan found that almost half of the 2,000 people surveyed—who ranged in age from 60 to 80—didn’t know about the vaccine. Close to 40% said they were not interested in getting it.

"As we prepare for the first RSV season when a vaccine will be available for older adults, these early data suggest a need for public health officials, primary care providers, pharmacies, and others to target their outreach and awareness-building efforts,” Preeti Malani, MD, a senior advisor to the poll and an infectious disease specialist at Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan’s academic medical center, said in statement.

Why Are Older Adults At Risk for Severe RSV?

According to Scott Roberts, MD, associate medical director for infection prevention at Yale Medicine, we lose immunity as we age and become more susceptible to infections, including RSV.

RSV is common and usually causes only mild, cold-like symptoms. But it can be serious in both older adults and infants. Between 60,000 and 160,000 U.S. adults over the age of 65 are hospitalized for RSV each year, and 6,000 to 10,000 die from the virus and its complications.

Roberts suspects people are at higher risk than usual because of waning RSV immunity during the COVID-19 pandemic, when mask wearing and social distancing prevented the typical spread of RSV. While that's a good thing, it also means RSV came roaring back after stay-at-home orders: In November 2022, the RSV hospitalization rate for older adults was 10 times higher than usual for that time of year.

Related: What Causes RSV in Adults and Children?

Treatments for RSV include over-the-counter medications and staying hydrated, and most people recover in a week or two. But if symptoms worsen and RSV moves to the lungs, it can result in pneumonia, or make other existing conditions worse, such as asthma and congestive heart failure.

That's why a preventive vaccine matters. There's currently only one at-home test for RSV, so it may be hard to know exactly what you're sick with and which treatment to seek, Kathryn Boling, MD, a family medicine physician affiliated with Mercy Medical Center-Baltimore, told Verywell. Symptoms for RSV, COVID, and flu can be similar—including coughing and fever—and the three viruses are expected to converge this fall.

How to Get a Vaccine

The RSV vaccines are now available at doctors’ offices and many pharmacies, including Walgreens and CVS.

When it comes to timing your fall vaccines, Roberts suggests getting an RSV shot now, the updated COVID vaccine once it becomes available in mid-September, and the flu shot in October. Talk to your doctor, though, about getting two or three of the shots together if you might not be able to make separate visits for the vaccinations.

Related: Here's How to Plan For Your Seasonal Vaccinations This Fall

The vaccines are covered by Medicare Part D, the prescription benefit portion of Medicare. But there are already reports of coverage denials for people on Medicare who do not have Part D, resulting in costs upward of $300.

Some private insurers are covering RSV vaccines and some are not, in part because of the CDC's decision to include a caveat in its recommendation.

Rather than fully recommending the vaccine, the CDC is advising that people 60 and older "may" get an RSV vaccine and should discuss it with their health provider. That’s because a few people in clinical trials developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare disorder that causes muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. GSK's vaccine was also linked to 10 cases of atrial fibrillation.

Both vaccines were more than 80% effective in clinical trials to test them.

"One could argue that the benefits of these vaccines far outweigh the risks; for instance, the protection afforded against severe RSV disease is greater than the small risk of Guillain-Barré in this situation," Roberts said.

Related: How to Prevent RSV in Adults and Children

Expect to Start Seeing More Messaging—and More Incentives—For the Vaccines

Since the RSV vaccines were only approved this spring, it’s taking a while to get the word out. Several organizations, including the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, have been holding briefing sessions for health reporters to encourage them to write about the vaccines.

"Physicians are not required to bring up the vaccine at well check-ups, but most electronic health records will provide alerts [to patients] for vaccines," Malani said.

Jessica Masuga, a spokesperson for Walgreens, told Verywell the pharmacy chain is using text, email, video, social media, and search options to educate patients about RSV vaccine.

"Our expert pharmacists are also having one-on-one conversations with patients about how they can protect themselves this respiratory season," she said.

Vaccine Incentives

Walgreens is offering a $5 Walgreens Cash reward through the end of December for consumers who get vaccines at its pharmacies, and a $10 Walgreens Cash reward through the month of September.

CVS is offering consumers who get any CDC-recommended vaccine a coupon for or $5 off $20 to use on in-store purchases (in most states).

The companies that make the RSV vaccines are doing education efforts of their own, including TV commercials.

"We aim to reach adults where they are, and we currently have ads running on all major network stations and online,” Kate Kanaby, a spokesperson for GSK, told Verywell. “We expect to keep up the momentum after the start of RSV season."

Read the original article on Verywell Health.