When is the best time to get a flu shot? What to know as flu season begins

The official start of fall is nearing, but flu season has already begun.

But when should you get a flu shot?

September through October is the best time to schedule an appointment for the seasonal flu vaccine to stay guarded against the respiratory illness, according to the American Lung Association.

Everyone six months and older is advised to get a flu shot this season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

“Vaccination should ideally be offered during September or October. However, vaccination should continue throughout the season as long as influenza viruses are circulating,” the agency wrote in a report published Aug. 25.

What’s different about this flu season is that for those 65 and older, the CDC is recommending the “use of higher dose and adjuvanted flu vaccines” as opposed to the standard options offered. This is because older adults have a higher risk of becoming severely affected by the flu compared to younger individuals.

Additionally, those with a chronic medical condition, such as heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, also have a higher risk of complications when it comes to getting sick with the flu, according to the American Lung Association.

“In past flu seasons, nine out of 10 adults hospitalized with the flu had at least one underlying medical condition,” American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer said in a statement. “Getting a flu vaccine is important to protect yourself, your family and your community from the flu.”

As this year’s flu season coincides with another year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people can also get a COVID-19 booster shot during the same appointment for a flu shot, McClatchy News previously reported.

Several locations such as CVS and Walgreens offer flu shots. Nearby locations that administer the vaccines can be found through an online search on vaccines.gov.

This story was originally published September 7, 2022 at 3:14 PM with the headline "When is the best time to get a flu shot? What to know as flu season begins."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.