Public health staff told the Board of Health on Sept. 18 that influenza vaccination is the department’s top immunization priority for the upcoming 2024–25 respiratory season and urged residents — particularly older adults and people who face barriers to care — to get vaccinated. Jennifer Denkewitz, a public health nurse with the Department of Health and Human Services, said local clinics will prioritize outreach to older residents, the homebound and people who live in parts of the city with limited pharmacy access.

The department emphasized the renewed urgency after last season, when “flu cases spiked to their highest levels in over 15 years,” Denkewitz said, and national and state flu vaccination rates fell. “Flu vaccines are safe, effective, and it is the best defense against serious illness, hospitalizations, and unfortunately death,” Denkewitz told the board.

Why it matters: Board members said they were concerned about access, especially for older adults who cannot travel to chain pharmacies. Denkewitz said COVID-19 vaccine ordering for state-supplied doses (intended for pediatric patients and uninsured adults) had not yet been activated by the CDC but was expected to be available within days, with shipments arriving in the coming weeks. Until shipments arrive, Denkewitz said parents should seek pediatric COVID-19 doses from pediatricians and pharmacies that already stock pediatric formulations.

Department plan and details: Denkewitz described a two-track strategy: broad encouragement of annual flu vaccination and a targeted COVID-19 vaccine program for people 65 and older at public clinics and senior centers. Local pharmacies, she said, remain important access points for RSV, flu, pneumonia and COVID-19 vaccines for people age 5 and older. She also said the department is monitoring respiratory illness indicators daily and watching wastewater signals; she reported that wastewater had shown a recent rise but was trending down and that emergency department visits for respiratory illness were “very low” as of Sept. 18.

Board questions and practical notes: Board members asked where the department gets emergency-department data and whether that information is posted online; Denkewitz said the department uses the Massachusetts Department of Public Health dashboard and that ED and wastewater metrics are maintained on the department website. Several board members described mixed availability at local pharmacies and recommended that the department post clear guidance about where residents can receive recommended vaccines.

What’s next: The department said it will continue public clinics focused on older adults and coordinate messaging about vaccine availability and eligibility with pharmacies and community health centers. Denkewitz and board members encouraged residents to check with their healthcare providers for vaccine eligibility and to use local pharmacies as available.