On Dec. 23, 2024, an Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) health survey conducted in November 2024 showed that a year after becoming available, vaccines to protect against RSV in newborns and older adults are being more widely accepted by the American public.

Over half of U.S. adults (52%) think the vaccine given to pregnant individuals to protect their infants from RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is effective, up from 42% in October 2023, soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the vaccine. And 61% say the RSV vaccine for adults age 60 and older is effective, up from 54% in October 2023.

The rise in perceived effectiveness for the RSV vaccine comes even though there has been no sign to date of a dreaded “tripledemic,” the wave of flu, Covid-19, and RSV illnesses that filled emergency rooms in the fall and winter of 2022-23 and may have resulted in over 100,000 U.S. deaths. As of Dec. 20, 2024, the CDC reports overall moderate levels of acute respiratory illness, though flu season is underway with levels increasing across the country, Covid-19 activity is increasing from low levels in some areas of the country, and RSV activity is high and increasing in most U.S. areas, especially in young children.