In the fall of 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging all Americans to receive updated COVID-19 vaccines. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) unanimously recommended routine seasonal flu shots for people ages 6 months old and older, as well as updated COVID-19 vaccines for the same age group. The recommendation comes amid concerns that the Bridge Access Program providing free COVID-19 vaccines to uninsured or underinsured people will end in August before the rollout of the updated COVID-19 shot.
According to data from the CDC, over 916,300 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 and 75,500 died from the disease in 2023. People who got vaccinated showed increased protection against emergency room and hospital visits compared with those who had no shot. The COVID-19 vaccination also reduces the risk of developing long COVID, which can develop after a severe illness.
Updated vaccines give targeted protection since immunity from a previous shot or infection decreases over time. Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of an FDA panel that recently advised which COVID-19 lineage to target for the new vaccines, expressed concern that the virus is not over and will now join other respiratory illnesses that cause hundreds of thousands of cases and tens of thousands of deaths every year. He urged people to make a plan for getting both updated flu and COVID vaccines this fall.
The FDA advisory panel recommended vaccines target the JN.1 lineage of SARS-CoV-2 in early June, and the updated COVID-19 vaccine is expected in August or September. The CDC emphasized that it was safe to receive the flu and COVID shots at the same time.
The CDC also recommended that all Americans 6 months and older receive the flu vaccine, noting that it will offer protection against three influenza A strains dominant last winter season. During the 2023-24 flu season, more than 44,900 people are estimated to have died from flu complications.
It's important for individuals to protect themselves and their loved ones from respiratory illnesses by getting vaccinated. Make a plan now for you and your family to get both updated flu and COVID vaccines this fall, ahead of the respiratory virus season.