This past year featured one of the most aggressive forms of Influenza with morbidity and mortality approaching that of the pandemic strain of 2008-9.  Moreover, the vaccine efficacy of 34% was among the least efficacious of any in recent history.  Despite all of these drawbacks, the influenza vaccine still had a massive effect on preventing illness, morbidity and mortality.  Approximately 41% of influenza illnesses were prevented due to vaccination.  Moreover, it is calculated that 8,000 deaths were prevented due to vaccination.

These numbers are even more impressive when one realizes that less than half of eligible individuals actually receive the vaccine.  As impressive as these results are, they would be even more remarkable had ALL (or most) who should have received it actually done so.

These data indicate the importance of yearly influenza vaccination in those eligible, and the efficacy of national and global vaccination policies at preventing morbidity and mortality.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/uritheflu/77897