Conversation Starters
Last Updated:
November 06, 2024
When should older adults get the COVID-19 and pneumococcal vaccines?
The CDC recommends that high-risk groups get an additional dose of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine after six months.
- These recommendations apply to people 65 and older and immunocompromised people.
- The shot will be an additional dose of the updated 2024-2025 Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax vaccines.
- It’s safe to receive additional vaccine doses from any of the three manufacturers, regardless of which COVID-19 vaccines you received in the past.
- Immunocompromised people may need more than two doses of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine and should discuss the best vaccine schedule for them with their health care provider.
- Anyone who has not yet received an updated COVID-19 vaccine can get it now. It’s safe to receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine, flu vaccine, and RSV vaccine (if eligible) at the same time.
- Find pharmacies with vaccines near you at Vaccines.gov.
Older adults and immunocompromised people need additional COVID-19 vaccines because they’re more vulnerable to a severe COVID-19 infection.
- Between October 2023 and April 2024, people 65 and older accounted for 70 percent of COVID-19-related hospitalizations. Compared to people between the ages of 18 and 39, people 75 and older were about nine times as likely to die from COVID-19 in 2021, but that margin has continually widened over time.
- Among adults who are hospitalized due to a COVID-19 infection, immunocompromised people are around 1.4 times more likely to die than those who are not immunocompromised.
- This increased risk of severe illness and death occurs because both older adults and immunocompromised people don’t make adequate germ-fighting cells, which makes it harder for their bodies to fight off COVID-19 and other infections.
- Older adults are also more likely to have underlying health conditions that increase the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, such as diabetes or heart disease.
- Staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines reduces the likelihood of severe illness, hospitalization, long-term health complications, and death.
The pneumococcal vaccine is recommended for children under 5, adults 50 and older, and people at risk for severe pneumococcal disease.
- This vaccine protects against Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacteria that can cause infections like pneumonia and meningitis, which are particularly dangerous for young children and older adults.
- About one in 12 children and one in six older adults who develop pneumococcal meningitis will die from the infection.
- Adults can get a pneumococcal vaccine at some pharmacies or at a health care provider’s office. Children may need to get vaccinated by their pediatrician.
Last Updated:
October 10, 2024
How does immunity work?
We develop immunity—protection from infection—when our immune systems recognize a particular virus, bacteria, or fungus and destroy it.
- In utero, babies can acquire passive immunity to certain infections from antibodies (protective proteins) from their birthing parent through the placenta. After birth, babies can get antibodies from breast milk.
- We acquire active immunity when we’re exposed to germs, either by getting infected or by getting vaccinated, which teach our bodies how to fight off future infections.
- Passive immunity only lasts for a few weeks or months, while active immunity lasts longer.
Immunity helps you resist and fight diseases and protects you against becoming seriously ill, but it’s not perfect.
- If you’ve had an illness or you’ve been vaccinated against a particular disease, you could get infected again but still be protected from developing the worst, and sometimes deadly, symptoms. Immunity might wane faster if the pathogen causing the disease mutates quickly, like the viruses that cause COVID-19 and the flu. That’s why we need updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines to target newer variants.
- When more people get vaccinated against vaccine-preventable diseases, it’s better for everyone. Herd immunity occurs when enough people have immunity so that disease spread is dramatically reduced.
- For example, diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella are rare in the U.S. because we’ve achieved herd immunity.
- Recent outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases are due to a decline in vaccination rates, which puts herd immunity at risk.
Staying up to date on routine vaccines is an effective way to protect ourselves and build herd immunity.
- In addition to helping to prevent infection in babies, children, and adults, routine vaccines reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death from dangerous diseases.
- All vaccines are rigorously tested before becoming available to the public to ensure safety.
- Getting vaccinated is a safer way to build immunity than getting infected with any disease.
- Learn more about routine vaccines for children and for adults from the CDC.
Last Updated:
September 18, 2024
When should I get my updated COVID-19 vaccine?
Updated COVID-19 vaccines targeting newer subvariants are available now at pharmacies.
- The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines are approved for people 6 months and older, and Novavax’s vaccine is approved for those 12 years and older.
- Most people only need one dose of any updated COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of which manufacturer’s vaccines you’ve received before.
- Children 6 months to 4 years and people who are immunocompromised may require additional vaccine doses.
- It’s safe to get your annual flu shot and updated COVID-19 vaccine at the same time.
If it’s been more than two months since your last COVID-19 vaccine or more than three months since your last COVID-19 infection, you can get an updated COVID-19 vaccine now.
- If you received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past few months, talk to your health care provider about the best vaccination schedule for you.
- Find appointments near you at Vaccines.gov.
You can get updated COVID-19 vaccines for free through Medicare, Medicaid, and many private health insurance companies.
- Uninsured or underinsured children can get vaccinated for free through the CDC’s Vaccines for Children program.
- Uninsured adults may be able to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine for free at some health centers.
- Uninsured adults can also pay for an updated COVID-19 vaccine out of pocket, although it may cost up to $200.
Last Updated:
August 28, 2024
What treatments are available for COVID-19 infections?
Antiviral treatments can prevent a severe COVID-19 infection and may reduce the risk of long COVID.
- If you get sick with COVID-19, your health care provider can prescribe an antiviral medication like Paxlovid or Lagevrio. You need to meet certain criteria to get this medication, and it needs to be started within a week of developing symptoms.
- You may qualify for either of these antiviral drugs if you’re 65 or older; you have a medical condition that puts you at increased risk of severe illness, such as as asthma, diabetes, or HIV; you take immunosuppressant medication; or your body mass index (BMI) is 30 or higher.
- Paxlovid is approved for patients 12 and older who weigh more than 88 pounds, including pregnant patients. Lagevrio is approved for patients 18 and older.
- Insured and underinsured people can get Paxlovid or Lagevrio for free or at reduced cost through their health insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid. Uninsured people can get it with a prescription through the Test to Treat program.
People who are hospitalized with COVID-19, including infants and children, may receive other forms of treatment.
- Remdesivir is an antiviral medication approved for patients who are at least 28 days old and weigh at least 6.6 pounds.
- This medication is administered through an IV in a hospital and has been shown to prevent a COVID-19 infection from becoming more severe in both adults and children.
- If you are hospitalized with COVID-19, your health care team may also treat you with antibody therapies to help your immune system fight off infection, such as monoclonal antibodies, which use proteins made in a lab, or convalescent plasma, which uses blood from donors who recovered from COVID-19.
- Health care providers may also give supplemental oxygen to manage COVID-19-related complications.
Whether or not you take medication to help you recover from COVID-19 at home, there are steps you can take to manage symptoms and reduce long COVID risk.
- Resting as much as possible may reduce your risk of developing long COVID and may help you recover from long COVID if you develop lasting symptoms.
- Taking over-the-counter pain medication can help reduce your fever and manage body aches, and over-the-counter cough suppressants may help reduce coughing and help you sleep.
- If you start experiencing trouble breathing, chest pain or pressure, confusion, or difficulty staying awake or waking up, go to the hospital right away.
Last Updated:
August 14, 2024
When and where can parents and guardians get updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines for their kids?
The COVID-19 and flu viruses evolve over time, so it’s recommended that everyone 6 months and older get updated vaccines each year to stay protected.
- The 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna will target KP.2, a subvariant that is part of the currently dominant FLiRT family. The 2024-2025 vaccine from Novavax will target the JN.1 subvariant that was dominant at the beginning of this year.
- For now, the CDC recommends one 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna for everyone 6 months and older or one 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax for everyone 12 years and older. The CDC may recommend additional doses for high-risk populations in the future.
- This year’s flu vaccine will target three strains that are most likely to circulate and cause illness during the upcoming flu season.
- Children 6 months to 8 years who are getting a flu vaccine for the first time and those who have previously received only one dose of the flu vaccine in their lifetime will need two doses four weeks apart. Children who received two doses of the flu vaccine at any point will only need one flu shot this year.
Updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines are expected to become available in September.
- Children who need two doses of the flu vaccine should get their first dose as soon as possible. For children who just need one dose, the CDC recommends getting vaccinated before the end of October.
- Updated COVID-19 vaccines and flu vaccines will be available through pediatricians, pharmacies, and local health departments. If you have children under 3 years old, get their vaccines from a pediatrician, as pharmacies may have age restrictions.
- Most children can get free COVID-19 and flu vaccines through private health insurance plans, Medicaid, and CHIP. The CDC’s Vaccines for Children Program also provides free COVID-19 and flu vaccines for children who are uninsured, underinsured, and American Indian or Alaska Native.
COVID-19 and flu vaccines play an important role in keeping kids safe in schools.
- Flu vaccines reduce the risk of kids getting sick with the flu and potentially being hospitalized or dying. A 2022 study found that flu vaccination reduced children’s risk of life-threatening influenza by 75 percent.
- Staying up to date on COVID-19 vaccines reduces the likelihood of severe illness, hospitalization, long-term health complications, and death.
- COVID-19 and flu vaccines are not required for school attendance, but they keep kids healthy and are safe. COVID-19 and flu vaccines have been rigorously tested in millions of people and determined to be safe for children 6 months and older.
Last Updated:
June 12, 2024
Can I donate blood after getting a COVID-19 vaccine?
It is safe to donate blood after getting a COVID-19 vaccine, despite what some vaccine opponents say online.
- In a May 29 statement, the American Red Cross confirmed that COVID-19 vaccines don’t make you ineligible to donate blood and that it is safe to receive blood from vaccinated people.
- Potential blood donors are asked whether they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 and for their vaccine’s manufacturer because according to Food and Drug Administration guidance, people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine with a live virus must wait two weeks before donating blood—but none of the COVID-19 vaccines approved in the U.S. contain a live virus.
- If you can’t remember your vaccine’s manufacturer, as a precaution, you will be asked to wait two weeks from the time of your vaccination to donate blood.
- If you received an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax, or Johnson & Johnson, you can donate blood without needing to wait if you’re feeling well and don’t have any symptoms.
The questions for blood donors don’t mean that COVID-19 vaccines (or any other vaccine) are unsafe.
- Questions about your vaccination status before donating are standard and have nothing to do with the safety of vaccines. Blood donation organizations want to know whether you received a vaccine with a live virus because there is a risk that the live weakened virus contained in some vaccines could be passed through the blood.
- Potential donors who have received vaccines that contain live viruses—such as the yellow fever, polio, or chickenpox vaccines—are asked to wait before donating blood.
- The waiting period for those vaccines doesn’t mean that they’re unsafe; it is just a precaution. Like the COVID-19 vaccines, these vaccines have saved millions of lives and are safe.
Blood donation saves lives and is especially needed right now.
- In January, the Red Cross said there was an emergency blood shortage in the U.S. and that the number of donors hit a 20-year low.
- The organization added that “all blood donations offer the same life-saving therapeutic benefits, regardless of the vaccination status of the donor.”
- Encourage the people in your community to donate if they can. Check out the Red Cross website for donor eligibility requirements and to find a local blood drive.