Influenza and COVID vaccine recommendations<\/p>\n
Updated flu and COVID vaccines that are formulated to match circulating strains this year will be available to children and adults this fall and winter.\n<\/p>\n
Everyone 6 months and older is encouraged to get at least one shot for each respiratory viral disease, according to guidelines.\n<\/p>\n
Some children may need<\/a> two or more doses of a COVID vaccine if they are getting vaccinated against the virus for the first time, are immunocompromised or have another underlying condition that puts them at high risk for serious complications, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.\n<\/p>\n People 65 and older may also get two doses of the COVID vaccine, as well as an enhanced high-dose influenza vaccine recommended for older adults.\n <\/p>\n While most children and adults can manage symptoms like fever, cough, fatigue and body aches at home, others can become severely ill and need hospitalization and support in an intensive care unit.\n<\/p>\n \u201cChildren who are suffering from sickle cell disease or who have asthma, allergies, other chronic conditions, gastrointestinal issues, cardiac issues, taking anything that suppresses the immune system, are more at risk,\u201d said Richards-Rowley, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics\u2019 Pennsylvania chapter<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Family medicine physician Dr. Andrew Lutzkanin, who practices in Middletown, Pennsylvania, said he likes to remind people that getting vaccinated themselves could benefit others around them who are vulnerable to serious complications.\n<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people write off the flu every year as something simple or mild, or \u2018I\u2019m a healthy young person, I really don\u2019t need the immunization for this because I\u2019m not at risk,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cBut when you get a vaccine, you help to protect those others.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The best time to get a flu shot is in September and October, Richards-Rowley said, which gives people time to develop antibodies before they\u2019re potentially exposed. But she added that people should get immunized as soon as possible.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re an adult, you\u2019re walking through CVS and you see the sign, go get it,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause life can sometimes life, and you forget to do it and it\u2019s November or December and all of a sudden, you have a fever of 104 [degrees] and you\u2019re like, \u2018Oh man, I forgot to get my flu shot.\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n