Fall 2024 Vaccine Round Up: Flu, COVID-19, RSV

Image credit: Heather Hazzan

We're rounding up all you need to know about flu, COVID, and RSV vaccinations ahead of the 2024 season. Let's jump in:

Flu

CDC recommends the flu vaccine for anyone ages 6 months and older.

Get your flu shot by Halloween to help protect you throughout the fall and winter. If you’re pregnant, getting the flu shot during pregnancy can help protect your baby in their first six months of life, before they’re able to get their own flu vaccine. This year the vaccine is trivalent, meaning it protects against three strains of flu.

See the section Where to get vaccinated for more information.

COVID-19

CDC recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for anyone ages 6 months and older.

This fall’s doses were updated to include the most recently circulating strain of COVID. The advantage of getting a COVID vaccine each fall is that it can restore and enhance your protection against the variants currently causing the most infections and hospitalizations. The CDC adds that vaccination reduces your chances of suffering the effects of Long COVID, which can develop during or following infection and last for a long period of time.

I had COVID in the last few months. When should I get the updated dose?

CDC says if you recently had COVID-19, you still need to stay up to date with your vaccines, but you may consider delaying your vaccine dose by 3 months.

See the section Where to get vaccinated for more information.

RSV

Infants & Babies

CDC recommends an RSV immunization (nirsevimab) to all infants younger than 8 months of age born during RSV season or entering their first RSV season. As epidemiologist Dr. Katelin Jetelina put it, “This is not a vaccine (i.e., doesn’t teach the body to make antibodies) but rather a medication (it provides antibodies).” Infants should get the shot before their first RSV season. Kids 8-19 months old who are at increased risk for severe disease (for example, are severely immunocompromised) should also get the shot.

Now this is tricky because there’s also a vaccination that pregnant people can get to protect their babies (see section below). This chart from the CDC is very helpful for understanding when you or your child should get RSV protection:

Image credit: CDC

It should be much easier to find doses this year than it was last year. Talk to your child’s pediatrician about eligibility, timing, and availability.

Pregnant People

CDC recommends RSV vaccination for people who are pregnant and in their 32-36 weeks of pregnancy during September through January. This vaccine helps protect babies through their first 6 months of life. Either maternal RSV vaccination or infant immunization (see above) is recommended; it’s not necessary to vaccinate both the pregnant parent and the infant.

Adults 60+

CDC recommends the RSV vaccine for everyone ages 75 and older and for people 60-74 in certain situations. This recommendation is for adults who did not get an RSV vaccine last year. RSV is not an annual vaccine like flu or COVID, and you don’t need a new dose every year.

If you’re 75+, CDC recommends the RSV vaccine for you. They also recommend the RSV vaccine for people ages 60–74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV, meaning you have certain chronic medical conditions, such as lung or heart disease, or you live in nursing homes.

See the section Where to get vaccinated for more information.

Where to get vaccinated

Save yourself a trip: you can get your flu, COVID, and RSV vaccines at the same time!

• If you have health insurance: Most pharmacies and doctor’s offices offer flu, COVID, and RSV vaccinations. Vaccines.gov is a great resource to find vaccinators near you. Be sure to check that the pharmacy takes your insurance. Kids under three typically can’t go to a pharmacy for vaccination. Talk to your child’s pediatrician for their vaccinations. Be sure to take note of our upcoming school vaccination clinics; we can vaccinate kids with Quartz, GHC, or Dean insurance.
• If you don’t have health insurance:
  • Children. We can vaccinate children under 19 who do not have insurance, have Medical Assistance or BadgerCare, or are Native American or Alaska Native. Be sure to take note of our upcoming school vaccination clinics!
  • Adults. We can vaccinate adults who do not have insurance for flu. Make an appointment at our clinic or visit one of our mobile clinics. We unfortunately cannot vaccinate adults for RSV this year since there is not currently state or federal funding to pay for these doses. As of this posting, we are not able to give COVID vaccines to adults for the same reason, although some federal funding may be available soon for us to get doses. See our Adult Immunizations page for the most up-to-date information.