Get Your Flu Shot Today

The facts are simple: Getting a flu shot every year decreases your chances of getting the flu — and you’re less likely to be hospitalized or die from it.

There are a few updates for the 2022-23 flu season that we should be paying attention to, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Here are the top three:

• 65 or older? This flu season, these newer, high-dose vaccines provide extra protection: Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent vaccine(link opens in new window)(link opens in new window), Flublok Quadrivalent recombinant flu vaccine(link opens in new window)(link opens in new window) and Fluad Quadrivalent adjuvanted flu vaccine(link opens in new window)(link opens in new window).
  
  Typically the flu season hits people 65 and older the hardest. Between 70 and 85% of seasonal flu-related deaths occur in people 65 and older, and between 50 and 70% of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations hit this group.
  
  
• Got kids, including babies? The recommended age for flu shots was previously 2, but now it’s 6 months and up. Talk to your health care professional for details.
  
  
• Unclear on timing? It’s similar to last season. If you need just one dose, September and October are your best bets. Try to get vaccinated by the end of October, but vaccination after October can still provide protection during the height of flu season.

But wait, there's more. Here are 7 more things to keep in mind. Also available in Spanish.

Bottom line: Getting a flu shot will help protect your health and the people you care about. Now let’s bust some common myths (also available as a Spanish PDF) about getting the flu vaccine, with some help from our friends at the CDC.