CVS/pharmacy, MinuteClinic commence seasonal flu shot campaign

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Almost two in five U.S. adults have missed a life event because of flu-like symptoms, according to a survey from CVS/pharmacy.

CVS said Monday that the online survey of over 2,000 adults, conducted by Harris Poll, found that 37% of respondents missed out on a social or work occasion because they felt ill from flu-like symptoms. The most commonly missed events were get-togethers with friends (17%), family gatherings (17%), and a work meeting or presentation (13%).

Of those polled, 58% indicated that they get a flu vaccination every year or plan to get one this year. Sixty-five percent said they believe an annual flu shot is the best way to prevent getting the flu, and 38% said they do so to protect their family from the flu virus. Also, 26% get vaccinated because they don’t want the flu to cause them to miss important life events.

Among respondents who have ever received a flu shot, 38% said convenience plays a major role in their decision about where to get immunized. What’s more, 36% of those who have ever received a flu vaccine indicated that “where their insurance is accepted” is a determining factor for where they get the vaccine.

The findings come as CVS Health launches its annual flu shot program for the coming flu season. All of the more than 7,800 CVS/pharmacy stores and nearly 1,000 MinuteClinic locations nationwide are now offering flu vaccines on a walk-in basis daily, including evenings and weekends.

The flu vaccination is a preventive service under the Affordable Care Act and is fully covered and available at no cost through most insurance plans, including Medicare Part B. CVS/pharmacy and MinuteClinic can directly bill many national and regional health plans that cover all or part of the cost of a flu shot.

Source: CVS/pharmacy-Harris Poll online survey of 2,024 U.S. adults, July 2015.

In addition, customers will receive a 20% off CVS/pharmacy Shopping Pass when they get a flu shot at CVS/pharmacy or MinuteClinic. The Shopping Pass can be used with the CVS/pharmacy ExtraCare Rewards card to save 20% off nonpharmacy purchases up to $100.

“No one wants to get sick with the flu, and getting sick is even worse when it causes us to miss an important life event such as a vacation, wedding, holiday gathering or a child’s big sporting event or recital,” Tom Davis, vice president of pharmacy professional practices at CVS/pharmacy, said in a statement. “The simple fact is that getting an annual flu shot is the best protection available against catching or spreading the flu.”

Other key findings from the survey included the following:

• 67% of employed respondents said they would go to work even if they were feeling ill with flu-like symptoms.
• Life events that people said they would be most upset about missing because of flu-like symptoms included missing a vacation getaway (cited by 63% of respondents), family gathering (56% ), wedding (54%), graduation (47%) and birthday party (43%).
• 92% of those polled said they would take actions to protect themselves from the flu, including washing hands as often as possible (77%), drinking more water (58%), taking vitamins (55%), eating more nutritious food (50%), wiping down surface areas with sanitizing wipes (46%) and regularly using hand sanitizer (45%).
• 76% of seniors reported that they get the flu vaccine annually and/or plan on getting a flu shot this year.

“It is recommended to get a flu shot as soon as the vaccine is available because it takes a couple of weeks for it to build immunity in order to provide you with the best protection before flu season peaks,” stated Nancy Gagliano, senior vice president at CVS Health and chief medical officer for CVS/minuteclinic. “You should also get vaccinated every year, because influenza strains may change year to year and the vaccines are updated annually.”

CVS added that CVS/pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations also are offering the high-dose flu vaccine, which has four times the antigens as the regular seasonal flu vaccine to create a stronger immune response for seniors, who are at greater risk of developing severe flu-related illnesses. Also available is a quadrivalent flu vaccine that provides protection against an additional influenza B virus than the standard seasonal flu vaccine.