Opinion: What giving flu shots backstage taught me about public health

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Source: STAT News

Original: https://www.statnews.com/2025/12/24/flu-shots-backstage-broadway-public-health/?...

Published: Wed, 24 Dec 2025 09:30:00 +0000

The author describes the experience of administering flu shots to Broadway actors and crew and draws public health conclusions from common everyday interactions. The author reports that organized on-the-job (backstage) vaccination increases vaccine accessibility and allows people to be quickly vaccinated who would otherwise delay or skip the vaccine. The article highlights that such direct, low-threshold interventions improve collective protection by reducing transmission in close social networks such as performances and work teams. The author describes that building trust and personal contact during vaccination (e.g., talking, answering questions) increases willingness to receive the vaccine. She goes on to point out the importance of logistics and coordination - planning, time windows, and collaboration with event management are necessary for a successful vaccination event. The article is an opinion piece based on the author's personal experience and does not represent a primary clinical trial or statistical measurements of vaccine efficacy.