What seniors need to know about this fall’s vaccines

Dear Savvy Senior: Can you give me updated information on which vaccines are recommended for Medicare seniors this fall? — Medicare Mary

Dear Medicare Mary: Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is undergoing major changes, the overall fall vaccine recommendations for older adults resemble last year’s advice, with exception of the COVID shot. Here’s what you should know.

Flu shots for seniors

Just as they normally do, the CDC recommends a seasonal flu shot to everyone 6 months of age and older, but it’s especially important for older adults who have weaker immune defenses and have a greater risk of developing dangerous flu complications compared with younger, healthy adults.

For people 65 and older, three FDA-approved flu vaccines (you only need one) are recommended over traditional flu shots: the Fluzone high-dose quadrivalent, Flublok quadrivalent (recombinant, egg-free vaccine) and Fluad quadrivalent.

These vaccines are formulated to create a more robust immune response, helping the body produce more antibodies, which makes them more effective in preventing the flu.

All flu vaccines are covered 100 percent by Medicare Part B if your doctor, health clinic or pharmacy agrees not to charge you more than Medicare pays.

RSV shots

With the flu shot, the CDC recommends a single-dose of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine for all adults 75 and older, as well as to high-risk adults ages 50 to 74 (people who have chronic heart or lung disease, weakened immune systems, diabetes with complications, severe obesity or who live in long-term care facilities).

RSV is responsible for 6,000 to 10,000 deaths and up to 150,000 hospitalizations each year.

The three RSV vaccines approved and available in the U.S. — Arexvy, Abrysvo and mResvia — are all covered under Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. But if you got an RSV shot last year, or when it first became available in 2023, you do not need a second dose this year. For now, only one dose of RSV vaccine is recommended.

COVID booster

If you haven’t had a COVID booster shot lately, the Food and Drug Administration just approved the 2025-26 vaccine, which has been updated to target the dominant strain.

This vaccine has been recommended for all adults 65 and older and younger people who have a health condition that makes them vulnerable to severe COVID. But the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee just announced they are no longer recommending COVID shots. Instead, they say people 65 and older and immunocompromised younger people should decide individually or with a doctor.

COVID still causes at least 40,000 hospitalizations and approximately 47,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. COVID shots are covered by Medicare Part B.

Pneumonia vaccines

If you haven’t been vaccinated for pneumonia, you should also consider getting the pneumococcal vaccine this fall. These vaccines are now recommended by the CDC to adults 50 and older, instead of age 65, which was the previous recommendation.

Pneumonia causes a whopping 1.2 million people to visit medical emergency departments in the U.S. each year and causes roughly 50,000 deaths.

If you’ve never been vaccinated for pneumonia, the PCV20 (Prevnar 20) or PCV21 (Capvaxive) are the top choices because they cover the most common serotypes.

Medicare Part B covers pneumococcal shots, and you only need to get vaccinated once.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org.