High-Dose Flu Vaccine: No Additional Benefits.

• Position: HEART DISEASE PATIENTS

High-dose influenza (commonly known as flu) vaccines are no better than regular-dose influenza vaccines in reducing deaths and hospitalizations among patients with underlying heart disease, according to a study published in JAMA. The results do not change well-established findings about the value of an annual influenza vaccine for persons with heart disease and other chronic illnesses, and do not alter the recommendation for an annual influenza vaccine for most people.

"Getting a vaccine is even more critical than usual this year, as people with COVID-19 who get the flu are at higher risk for more serious complications," says study coauthor Lawton S. Cooper, a researcher with the Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

"People should follow the guidance of their health care provider as to which flu vaccine, high or low dose, is better for them, but...