The first national data on influenza vaccination among nursing home residents finds that they are less likely to receive flu shots than older adults living in the community, according to a new analysis.

Only 61% of nursing home residents received flu shots during the 2024-2025 flu season, compared with 76% of people over age 75 who live in the community, according to a report published yesterday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 

People who live in nursing homes are at higher risk of being exposed to influenza, which can spread quickly in group housing, and also of becoming very sick or dying.

The 2024-2025 flu season was the first for which national data on flu vaccination among nursing home residents were available. The analysis included 1.2 million residents of more than 13,000 nursing homes.

Flu season was severe that year, with 51 million flu-related illnesses, 23 million medical visits, 710,000 hospitalizations and 45,000 deaths, according to the CDC.

Less than half of nursing home workers vaccinated against flu

Influenza vaccination rates fell among the health providers who work in nursing homes, as well. Just 42% of health professionals who work in nursing homes received flu shots during the 2024-2025 flu season, compared with 45% in the 2023-2024 season. Fewer health providers in nursing homes were vaccinated against flu last year than in acute care hospitals, where 81% of health care professionals received flu shots. 

Nursing homes have been required to report vaccination rates among health professionals since the 2022-2023 season and among residents since January 2025.

A recent study found that health care providers who are hesitant to be vaccinated are concerned about potential side effects, vaccine effectiveness, and the necessity of vaccination, according to the report.

Flu vaccination rates were highest among government-owned nursing homes, where 72% of residents received flu shots, and lowest among for-profit nursing homes (59%). Flu vaccination levels by state ranged from 33% of nursing home residents in Arizona to 81% in North Dakota.

The CDC recommends flu shots for people age 6 months and older, as long as they have no medical conditions that make vaccination risky.