As respiratory virus season gets under way, U.S. health authorities and medical societies have outlined who should get flu shots this year and when. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has kept its existing flu vaccine recommendations in place for the 2026-27 season, while several professional organizations have published their own guidance covering flu, COVID-19 and RSV.

CDC keeps 2025 flu recommendations

According to a summary published by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) on September 8, 2026, the CDC released interim clinical considerations for seasonal influenza vaccination. The agency said recommendations from the July 2025 immunization schedule remain in effect for the 2026-27 flu season, and that routine annual flu vaccination remains recommended.

A separate summary from Consultant360, published September 21, 2026, reported that the CDC updated its considerations on September 1 and attributed the decision to keep the 2025 recommendations to legal uncertainties and related inquiries. That outlet noted the information was drawn from the CDC document, and the guidance itself is labeled interim.

Timing: September and October

For most people who need a single dose, the guidance says vaccination is ideally completed in September or October. It also says vaccination should continue throughout the season while influenza viruses are circulating and unexpired vaccine remains available.

Consultant360 reported that vaccination in July or August is generally not recommended for most adults, particularly those 65 and older. Exceptions may include children, people who may have limited opportunities to be vaccinated later, and women in the third trimester of pregnancy. People who are fully vaccinated for the season should not receive a booster, the guidance states.

Which vaccines are available

All flu vaccines in the United States this season are trivalent, covering influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and B/Victoria viruses, according to Consultant360. Available types include inactivated, recombinant and live attenuated (nasal spray) vaccines. In general, no single product is preferred when several are licensed and recommended for a person’s age and health status.

One exception applies to older adults. The guidance says adults 65 and older should preferentially receive a high-dose, recombinant or adjuvanted vaccine when available. If none of those is on hand, another age-appropriate vaccine may be given, and vaccination should not be delayed simply because a specific formulation is unavailable.

  • Ages 9 and older: one dose.
  • Children 6 months through 8 years: two doses, at least four weeks apart, for those who have not previously received two or more doses or whose history is unknown.
  • Egg allergy: any age-appropriate flu vaccine may be used.
  • Pregnancy: inactivated or recombinant vaccines may be given in any trimester; the nasal spray should not be used during pregnancy.
  • Nasal spray: approved for ages 2 through 49, and FluMist self-administration is approved for adults 18 through 49.

Medical groups issue their own guidance

According to a report by Mezha, U.S. medical organizations issued their own 2026-27 recommendations for flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines on September 2, 2026, because the CDC did not issue new seasonal recommendations. The report said the CDC left its RSV and COVID-19 recommendations unchanged and kept the flu provisions approved in July 2025. It added that the organizations drew on analyses by the American Medical Association and the University of Minnesota’s Vaccine Integrity Project, published in JAMA.

Key points from that report include:

  • Flu: annual vaccination for everyone 6 months and older, with October described as the best month and later vaccination acceptable if vaccine was not available earlier.
  • mRNA flu vaccine: the report said the FDA approved the first mRNA flu vaccine in August 2026 for older adults, and that medical groups noted it as available for adults 50 and older. The report said CDC documents did not mention it.
  • COVID-19: an updated vaccine for adults, especially those 65 and older, people at increased risk of severe illness and people never previously vaccinated, with a second dose six months later for adults 65 and older.
  • RSV: a single dose for adults 75 and older and for adults 50 and older at increased risk, with no annual repeat; vaccination for pregnant people at 32 to 36 weeks; and a monoclonal antibody for many infants whose mothers were not vaccinated.

The report also said major insurers told the medical organizations they would cover these vaccinations.

What consumers should know

Because the CDC guidance is described as interim and the medical societies’ recommendations differ in some details, people with questions about their own situation are generally directed to a physician, pharmacist or other health care provider. Those at higher risk of serious flu complications, and people who live with or care for them, including health care personnel, are singled out in the CDC guidance as groups for whom vaccination is especially important.

Anyone who has recently taken certain flu antiviral medications should also check timing before receiving the nasal spray, since Consultant360 reported the medicines can interfere with that vaccine for a window before and after use. Those patients may be given an injectable vaccine instead.

Details of the guidance may change, and the full CDC interim clinical considerations remain the primary reference for health professionals.

Sources: AHCA/NCAL; Consultant360; Mezha.