Leading U.S. medical groups are urging people to get updated flu and COVID-19 vaccinations this fall, banding together Sept. 2 to issue shot guidelines \u2014 and highlight the science behind them \u2014 saying they hope to ease confusion caused by the Trump administration’s changing advice.<\/p>\n
Flu vaccinations are beginning and COVID-19 shots are starting to arrive after the Food and Drug Administration approved this year\u2019s updated versions last week. Winter also brings another vaccine-preventable risk called RSV. Exactly who should get one or all of these vaccines, and when?<\/p>\n
That advice usually comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with help from its independent advisers. But despite no new scientific evidence, Trump health officials last year began pulling back on some longstanding recommendations for fall virus protection and routine children’s vaccinations. And that advisory panel, which influences state and insurance vaccine policies, is caught in a court battle. The CDC didn’t respond to questions about any new fall guidance but suggested on its website that doctors follow last year’s flu recommendations.<\/p>\n
Doctors\u2019 groups are filling the gap: the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America each released vaccination guidelines for their patient populations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of confusion and chaos regarding vaccine recommendations,\u201d said Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, of the American Medical Association.<\/p>\n
All the groups’ recommendations plus evidence on shot safety and effectiveness are being posted on websites so \u201cthe public has clear, consistent, science-based guidance even while the federal process is in flux,” Fryhofer said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump holds up an image taken from his Truth Social account as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. watches during a meeting to sign an executive order about vaccines, Aug. 10, 2026, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.<\/p>\n
(AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin, File)<\/p>\n
Vaccination against flu<\/p>\n
Just about everybody starting at age 6 months needs flu vaccination, the medical societies agree. But flu is particularly dangerous for people 65 and older, pregnant women, young children and people of any age who have chronic health problems, including asthma, diabetes, heart disease and weak immune systems. The last two flu seasons were especially harsh, with unusually high numbers of child deaths \u2014 the vast majority of them in unvaccinated kids.<\/p>\n
The vaccines don’t block all flu infections but they do help prevent the worst outcomes, decreasing older adults’ hospitalizations by 31%, according to the Vaccine Integrity Project, a public health group based at the University of Minnesota. Its analysis was published in September in the medical journal JAMA.<\/p>\n
Picking from multiple vaccine options<\/p>\n
Three \u201cenhanced\u201d flu vaccines are designed to better protect seniors. The American Academy of Family Physicians urges them to choose one \u2014 “but do not delay your vaccination if that one\u2019s not available,\u201d said AAFP\u2019s Dr. Sarah Nosal.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a new choice this year for people ages 50 and older, the first flu vaccine made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. One study found Moderna’s mFlusiva was 27% more effective against symptomatic illness among 50- to 64-year-olds than a standard shot. The FDA just approved the new option and the company expects some doses to be available soon at certain pharmacies.<\/p>\n
The shot-averse could choose a nasal spray, FluMist, if they’re ages 2 to 49 and meet other health criteria.<\/p>\n
The latest on COVID-19 vaccines<\/p>\n
COVID-19 shots once were recommended for just about everyone by federal health agencies, but like last year, the FDA has only formally approved them for higher-risk people \u2014 those ages 65 and older or younger people with at least one health condition that increases their risk.<\/p>\n
Still, the family physicians recommend all adults get a COVID-19 vaccination, especially seniors and those with other risk factors. Adults 65 and older should get a fall dose and then a second dose six months later, as immunity wanes over time, Nosal said.<\/p>\n
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a COVID-19 shot for all children ages 6 months to 23 months, and for older kids with high-risk conditions. It also supports vaccination for any child whose parent wishes it.<\/p>\n
With millions of shots administered, there\u2019s no evidence that coronavirus vaccination during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage or other problems, \u201cso please get the vaccine,\u201d said ACOG\u2019s Dr. Christina Davidson.<\/p>\n
Depending on age, people can choose a shot from Moderna, Pfizer, or the only non-mRNA version from Novavax and Sanofi.<\/p>\n
Just like with flu vaccines, these shots are better at preventing severe disease than mild cases. The Vaccine Integrity Project said last fall\u2019s COVID-19 shots cut the risk of hospitalization by 53% in seniors and slashed emergency room visits for very young children.<\/p>\n
Common side effects for flu and COVID-19 vaccines are mild and temporary, such as sore arms, fatigue, headaches, muscle aches and mild fever. They occurred somewhat more often with the new mFlusiva than with standard flu shots.<\/p>\n
Where to\u00a0 get vaccinated<\/p>\n
While pediatricians and some clinics offer both flu and coronavirus shots, they’re most common in pharmacies.<\/p>\n
For COVID-19 shots, states have more pharmacy rules. For example, Walgreens says it offers those shots without a prescription in all but two states, Arizona and Oregon, but can provide doses for children as young as 3 in some states while others have higher age limits.<\/p>\n
Medicare covers the fall shots and most private health insurers say they plan to continue doing so through 2027.<\/p>\n
October is ideal for a flu vaccine, as influenza typically starts spreading in November. COVID-19 tends to rise in late summer, as it is now, and again after the winter holidays. Fryhofer says it\u2019s fine to time the coronavirus shot a few weeks ahead of an event you wouldn\u2019t want to miss because of illness, like a special trip or get-together.<\/p>\n
RSV: a nuisance for many, deadly for some<\/p>\n
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, typically is a cold-like nuisance during the fall, winter and early spring. But it can be severe, even life-threatening, for infants and older adults.<\/p>\n
The family physicians recommend a one-time vaccination for adults 75 and older, people 50 to 74 who are at increased risk, or younger people with weak immune systems.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also recommended during late pregnancy to protect infants born during RSV season. Separately, the pediatricians recommend a vaccine-like medication for those infants whose moms weren’t vaccinated and some other high-risk babies.<\/p>\n
The Associated Press\u2019 health and science coverage receives financial support from the AP Fund for Journalism and private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP\u2019s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leading U.S. medical groups are urging people to get updated flu and COVID-19 vaccinations this fall, banding together…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":336306,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,610,9,24,12,63,28611],"class_list":["post-336305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-local","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-news","tag-nyc","tag-psa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336305\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}