Flu, COVID & the Vulnerable: The 2026 Case for Immunizing Volunteers (Statistics)

A deeply-sourced look at how influenza and COVID-19 hit children and the elderly — and why the healthy adults who serve them, including volunteers, are part of the wall of protection. 24 cited sources, mostly CDC.

Nurseries, youth programs, summer camps, schools, senior centers, memory care, hospice — the settings where volunteers give their time are also the settings full of the people least able to fight off a respiratory illness. This report pulls together the most authoritative, current data on how influenza and COVID-19 affect children and the elderly, and makes the evidence-based case that immunizing the healthy adults around them — staff and volunteers alike — is a real layer of protection. Every statistic below links to its source.

📊 Sources & honesty note. We anchor on primary, government-grade sources — chiefly the CDC's estimated flu burden, CDC MMWR, and NCHS. This article is general information, not medical or legal advice; immunization requirements involve the ADA and vary by state and role — confirm your policy with counsel and a qualified health professional.

The headline numbers

45,000U.S. flu deaths, 2024–25 season

90%of flu deaths are among adults 65+

280child flu deaths in 2024–25 (worst non-pandemic season)

81%of 2020 COVID-19 deaths were age 65+

1. The 2024–25 respiratory season was severe

The CDC estimates that in the 2024–25 season influenza alone caused about 51 million illnesses, 710,000 hospitalizations, and 45,000 deaths in the United States (CDC Flu Burden). The cumulative flu hospitalization rate reached 127.1 per 100,000 — the highest since the 2010–11 season (CIDRAP, CDC). Flu isn't a mild footnote; in a bad year it kills tens of thousands of Americans.

2. The elderly bear the heaviest burden

Older adults are, by a wide margin, the group influenza hurts most. In an average season the CDC estimates that people 65 and older account for roughly 90% of flu deaths and about 60% of flu hospitalizations (CDC — Flu & People 65+). The 2024–25 season fit the pattern: seniors made up 71% of flu deaths and 57% of hospitalizations (CDC).

Age 65+~90% of flu deaths

Under 65~10%

Share of seasonal flu deaths by age, average season. Source: CDC.

The immune system weakens with age, and the mortality rate reflects it: during 2024–25 the influenza death rate for adults 65+ was about 52 per 100,000 — far above any other age group (Statista, CDC data; systematic review). COVID-19 told the same story even more starkly: 81% of U.S. COVID-19 deaths in 2020 were among people 65+, and the death rate for those 85+ was seven times the rate for those 65–74 (CDC/NCHS).

3. Children — and especially the youngest — are hit hard too

The 2024–25 season was the deadliest non-pandemic flu season on record for U.S. children, with 280 laboratory-confirmed pediatric deaths reported (CDC MMWR; CIDRAP). Two facts from that report matter most here:

The very youngest are the most vulnerable. The death rate was highest among infants under 6 months (11.1 per million) — the exact group that is too young to receive a flu vaccine (CDC — Flu & Children).
Vaccination status mattered. Among vaccine-eligible children who died and had records available, 89% were not fully vaccinated (CDC MMWR).

Because babies under six months can't be vaccinated themselves, the CDC's guidance is explicit: everyone who cares for or is around them should be vaccinated — a strategy called "cocooning" (CDC — Caregivers of Infants; Mayo Clinic; AAP).

Whooping cough is the sharpest example. Infants younger than 4 months account for 86% of all pertussis deaths, and the CDC recommends vaccinating close contacts of newborns to protect babies too young to be fully immunized (NIH/PMC; CDC; ACOG).

4. Congregate settings amplify everything

Where vulnerable people gather, respiratory viruses spread. Long-term care facilities were devastated by COVID-19: as of mid-2022, more than 209,000 COVID-19 deaths — about 21% of the U.S. total — were tied to long-term care (AHRQ/NCBI; CMS Nursing Home Data). Among adults 85+, nearly 39% of COVID-19 deaths occurred in a nursing or long-term care facility (CDC MMWR). Influenza follows suit: respiratory outbreaks in long-term care are common, and one surveillance study documented 46 outbreaks across five homes in three years, with an average case-fatality of 8% (PMC).

5. Why the healthy adults around them matter

The people most at risk often can't protect themselves — infants are too young to be vaccinated, and older or immunocompromised bodies mount a weaker response even when they are. That's why public-health authorities focus on the ring of healthy adults around them.

The CDC and ACIP recommend that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine, and that household contacts and caregivers of high-risk people be a priority (CDC — Who Needs a Flu Vaccine).
Vaccinating healthcare and long-term-care workers is a recognized way to reduce staff-to-patient transmission of influenza to vulnerable residents — which is why many states and facilities require documentation of vaccination status (PMC; CDC Public Health Law).
Vaccination measurably reduces onward spread: flu vaccine is estimated to be about 21% effective at preventing transmission to household members, on top of protecting the vaccinated person (CIDRAP).

Volunteers are functionally in the same position as staff: they hold babies in the nursery, coach the team, sit with residents in memory care. If it makes sense to ask paid caregivers to stay current on immunizations, the same logic extends to the volunteers doing the same work.

6. What this means for volunteer programs

None of this requires a heavy hand. The strongest programs simply request immunization records as one caring step of onboarding, offer clear medical and religious exemptions, provide reasonable accommodations, and keep the information private and separate from any background check. That protects the people you serve while treating volunteers with respect. (Requirements vary by state and role and implicate the ADA, GINA, and Title VII — consult your own counsel before requiring or acting on immunization information.)

7. How VolunteerBadge makes it easy — and free

VolunteerBadge lets you collect a verified immunization record as part of the same flow you already use for identity verification and a $5 background check, at no additional cost. Volunteers attach a SMART Health Card — a digitally signed, QR-code vaccine record — during their application; we verify the issuer's signature automatically and show a "Verified" record on their profile, so re-checking each year is effortless. It's optional for the volunteer, and kept completely separate from the background-check report — a health record is a value-added benefit, not a consumer report, and is not governed by the FCRA.

See how SMART Health Card verification works → · Why immunize volunteers who serve the vulnerable → · Read the full nonprofit leader's guide →

Sources

CDC Estimated Flu Burden; CDC 2024–25 Season Summary; CDC MMWR (Influenza-Associated Pediatric Deaths, 2024–25); CIDRAP season-severity and pediatric reports; CDC Flu & People 65 and Older; CDC Flu & Children; CDC 2025–26 Influenza Activity; CDC Caregivers of Infants; CDC Who Needs a Flu Vaccine; CDC/NCHS COVID-19 Mortality in Adults 65+ (DB446); CDC MMWR (LTC COVID-19 Mortality Risk); CMS COVID-19 Nursing Home Data; AHRQ/NCBI Impact of COVID-19 on Nursing Homes; CDC Pertussis / Vaccinating Pregnant Patients; NIH/PMC Protecting Infants from Pertussis; ACOG Tdap FAQ; PMC Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers; CDC Public Health Law (LTC flu-vaccination laws); CIDRAP household-transmission estimate; Statista (CDC influenza mortality by age); PMC High Clinical Burden in Adults 65+; Mayo Clinic (flu shots for kids); AAP HealthyChildren; CDC FluView pediatric mortality surveillance.