The
start
of
September
and
back-to-school
time
means
respiratory
virus
season
is
here
—
an
important
time
for
vaccinations
and
other
health
protocols
to
keep
folks
healthy
throughout
the
colder
months.

Vaccination
remains
an
important
way
to
stay
well
in
the
fall
and
winter,
and
the
latest
COVID-19
shots
are
now
available
at
pharmacies,
including
CVS
and
Walgreens,
throughout
the
country.
The
shots
have
been
updated
to
target
the
circulating
COVID
variant
JN.1.

There
is
some
COVID-19
vaccination
confusion
after
Health
and
Human
Services
Secretary
Robert
F.
Kennedy
Jr.

disbanded
the
Advisory
Committee
on
Immunization
Practices,
which
advises
on
vaccine
recommendations
and
determines
which
vaccines
insurance
plans
will
pay
for.

ACIP
hasn’t
met
this
year
due
to
ongoing
litigation,
but
the
COVID-19
vaccines
should
be
available
at
no
cost
under
most
insurance
plans,
according
to
a
CVS
press
release
and
a
Walgreens

press
release.

A
CVS
spokesperson
said
people
in
Louisiana
need
a
prescription
for
their
COVID
shot,
but
no
prescription
is
needed
outside
of
that
state.
Walgreens
is
not
requiring
prescriptions
in
any
state.

Here’s
who
should
consider
the
new
COVID
shot:

Exactly
who
benefits
most
from
the
shot
isn’t
as
straightforward
as,
say,

the
flu
shot,
which
is
recommended
for
everyone
6
months
and
older.

“The
recommendations
right
now
are
really
targeting
the
most
vulnerable
groups
of
people,”
said

Dr.
Michael
Angarone,
an
infectious
diseases
specialist
at
Northwestern
Medicine
in
Chicago.

“Unlike
previous
years,
the
CDC
has
not
posted
any
updated
guidance
on
COVID
vaccination,”
said

Dr.
Daniel
Kuritzkes,
senior
infectious
disease
physician
at
Mass
General
Brigham
in
Boston.
“But
there
are
official
recommendations
that
have
come
out
on
respiratory
virus
immunization
more
generally
by
a
group
of
the
professional
organizations.”

The
2026-2027
immunization
recommendations
were
put
out
by
the
American
Medical
Association,
American
Academy
of
Pediatrics,
the
American
Academy
of
Family
Physicians,
the
Vaccine
Integrity
Project,
the
American
College
of
Obstetricians
and
Gynecologists,
and
the
Infectious
Diseases
Society
of
America.
(Kuritzkes
is
a
member
of
the
Infectious
Diseases
Society
of
America.)

“Their
recommendations
essentially
mirror
what
have
previously
been
the
guidance
from
CDC,”
Kuritzkes
said.

It
is
recommended
that
older
adults
(65
and
up)
get
a
COVID
vaccine,
Kuritzkes
noted.
Moreover,
any
adult
under
65
who
has
a
“pre-existing
medical
condition
that
predisposes
to
severe
COVID,
and
that
would
include
things
like
heart
disease,
lung
disease,
obesity,
diabetes,
and
being
immunocompromised
…
all
those
are
reasons
for
people
to
receive
an
updated
COVID
vaccine.”

“Pregnant
women
should
also
get
an
updated
COVID
vaccine,
and
the
vaccines
are
safe
to
give
during
pregnancy,”
Kuritzkes
said.

Pregnant
people,
especially
in
their
last
trimester,
are
at
higher
risk
for
severe
COVID,
he
noted.

“And
then
young
children
are
also
recommended
to
get
the
vaccine,
and
that’s
children
6
months
to
23
months,”
said
Kuritzkes,
before
adding
that
young
children
likely
need
to
get
the
vaccine
at
the
pediatrician
and
not
at
a
pharmacy.

Under
these
guidelines,
it
is
also
recommended
that
adults
19
to
64
who
do
not
have
an
underlying
medical
condition
get
the
COVID
vaccine.

“I
have
to
say
that
when
you
look
at
the
data
for
the
last
several
years,
while
vaccines
are
beneficial,
the
degree
of
benefit
is
relatively
modest
because
most
healthy
adults
under
age
65
already
have
pretty
good
COVID
immunity,”
Kuritzkes
said.

“And
even
if
the
strain
is
a
little
different,
they’re
unlikely
to
get
seriously
ill,
and
so
I
think
it’s
a
more
personal
decision
for
that
large
group
of
people,”
Kuritzkes
noted.

Children
ages
2
to
18
with
underlying
conditions
such
as
asthma
or
cystic
fibrosis
should
also
get
the
vaccine.
There
is
not
“a
specific
recommendation
for
routine
[COVID]
vaccination”
for
kids
in
that
age
group
who
do
not
have
underlying
conditions,
added
Kuritzkes.

But
if
parents
want
the
shot
for
their
kids
without
underlying
conditions,

it
should
be
offered.

“I
think
it’s
all
about
protecting
ourselves,
and
we
know
the
vaccines,
COVID
and
the
flu
vaccine,
when
we
get
them,
we’re
less
likely
to
get
severe
disease,”
said
Angarone.

“So
that’s
how
I
think
of
the
vaccine
and
why
everyone
should
get
vaccinated,”
Angarone
noted.

“We
should
also
be
thinking
about
protecting
other
people
because
when
we
do
get
vaccinated,
we’re
less
likely
to
get
infected,
although
we
still
can,
and
we’re
not
going
to
harbor
the
virus
for
as
long,
so
we’re
less
likely
to
spread
it
to
as
many
people,”
said
Angarone.

COVID
vaccination
also
helps
reduce
the
likelihood
of
long
COVID.

“I
recommend
all
my
patients
get
vaccinated
for
COVID,
just
like
getting
the
influenza
vaccine,”
said
Angarone.

Here’s
when
you
should
get
your
COVID
shot.

Now
that
COVID
shots
are
available,
Angarone
recommends
that
people
start
getting
the
shot
in
mid-September,
toward
the
end
of
September
or
into
October.
“That’s
when
we
start
to
see
the
increase
in
cases
of
COVID,”
said
Angarone.

It
also
allows
people
to
gain
protection
before
the
holiday
season
and
colder
weather
when
people
(and
germs)
move
indoors.

Many
people
became
infected
with
COVID
at
the
end
of
the
summer.
If
that’s
you,

you
can
wait
three
months
after
your
infection
to
get
your
shot,
but
that
isn’t
required.

COVID
waves
aren’t
seasonal,
and
the
virus
tends
to
increase
in
the
fall
and
again
in
the
winter,
which
means
there
isn’t
one
right
time
to
get
the
COVID
shot,
said
Kuritzkes.

“The
most
convenient
is
to
get
it
at
the
same
time
that
you
get
your
flu
vaccine,
because
it
means
just
one
visit
to
the
pharmacy
or
to
your
healthcare
provider,”
Kuritzkes
said.

“The
other
alternative
is
to
get
the
COVID
vaccine
at
any
time
now
that
it’s
become
available,
and
then
you
get
your
flu
vaccine
…
towards
the
end
of
September
or
any
time
throughout
October,”
Kuritzkes
noted.

It’s
best
to
get
the
flu
shot
before
the
end
of
October,
but
you
can
get
it
any
time
during
flu
season,
he
said.

“I
think
September
to
early
October
is
probably
the
best
time
to
think
about
getting
vaccinated,”
added
Angarone.

The
side
effects
should
be
largely
the
same
as
past
COVID
shots.

The
COVID
vaccine
is
a
little
different
this
year
than
previous
years.
Again,
it
has
been
updated
to
target
one
strain
of
COVID-19:
JN.1,
said
Angarone.
The
fact
that
it
targets
one
strain
makes
it
a
monovalent
vaccine
instead
of
a
bivalent
vaccine
that
targets
multiple
strains
(most
previous
COVID
shots
have
been
bivalent),
he
added.

Since
this
vaccine
is
a
little
different,
the
side
effects
could
be
a
little
different,
too,
said
Angarone.

“My
guess
is
it’s
going
to
be
pretty
similar,
if
not
less
side-effect-prone,”
said
Angarone.

The
short-term
side
effects
include
pain
in
the
arm
for
a
few
days,
potentially
some
fever,
chills
and
muscle
aches,
said
Kuritzkes.

“It
is
short-lived,
doesn’t
lead
to
any
long-term
health
consequences,”
said
Kuritzkes,
“and
symptoms
are
almost
always
easily
managed
just
with
some
acetaminophen
or
ibuprofen.”

COVID
shots
are
safe
and
have
been
received
by
millions
of
people,
said
Kuritzkes.

“If
people
have
any
concerns
about
that,
they
should
talk
with
their
healthcare
provider,”
Kuritzkes
noted.

The
vaccine
recommendations
do
target
the
folks
who
are
at
higher
risk
of
severe
COVID,
but
“ultimately,
everyone
should
be
offered
and
should
get
the
COVID
vaccine,”
said
Angarone.

Vaccination
is
the
best
way
to
protect
yourself
and
your
loved
ones
from
getting
sick
this
season.