Everything You Need to Know About Flu Shots This Fall

It’s that time of year again. School is starting, the days are getting shorter and the familiar “flu shots available” signs are appearing outside pharmacies.

Each year, the flu kills tens of thousands of people in the United States, on average, and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized.

How can you protect yourself this season? Here’s what you need to know.

Should I get a flu vaccine?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends annual flu shots for everyone 6 months and older, including young, healthy people with no underlying conditions.

You need a new vaccine even if you got one last year, both because the antibodies from last year’s shot will have waned by now and because the shots are tailored each year to target different flu strains.

The only exception is if you have a severe allergy to a vaccine ingredient. Even then, your medical provider may be able to identify a different flu vaccine that you can receive safely.

Are there any changes in eligibility this year?

No. The Food and Drug Administration determines who is officially eligible for vaccines, and while it has narrowed its approval of Covid shots, it has not done so for flu shots.

When should I get a flu vaccine?

Experts say the ideal window is from late September through October. “Try to get vaccinated before Halloween,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. That matches guidance from the C.D.C.

Many pharmacies start to offer flu vaccines in August or even July. But Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, said you should wait a little longer to get one. That’s because protection from the vaccine decreases after a few months, and flu cases typically peak in December, January or even February.

If you miss the Halloween mark, it’s still absolutely worth getting vaccinated. “I tell patients that it is generally never too late to get it,” Dr. Chin-Hong said. “Some protection is better than none.”

Can I get it at the same time as my Covid shot?

Yes. You might have a sorer arm, but it’s safe to get both shots at once. Many public health officials recommend doing so because life can get busy and you might not end up making that second trip to the pharmacy or doctor’s office.

Also, don’t forget your R.S.V. shot if you’re in a group for whom that’s recommended: if you’re 75 or older, 50 or older with certain underlying conditions, or 32 to 36 weeks pregnant between September and January.

“These respiratory diseases, although not the same, tend to spread around the same time, and the groups that are high risk for one tend to be high risk for the others,” said Dr. Megan Ranney, an emergency physician and the dean of the Yale School of Public Health.

How much does the flu shot cost?

If you have insurance, it should be free. Almost all insurers are required to fully cover shots recommended by the C.D.C.’s vaccine advisory panel, as flu shots are.

If you’re uninsured, the cost at a pharmacy can vary depending on the type of vaccine and where you go. Some might charge $20, others more than $100. You may also be able to find a public clinic that offers shots for free.

How effective is the vaccine?

This varies from year to year. In telling vaccine manufacturers which flu strains to target, health officials have to make educated guesses about which strains will circulate in the coming season. Efficacy depends on how accurate their predictions are.

The C.D.C.’s preliminary estimates for last flu season found that the vaccines ranged from 41 to 78 percent effective against hospitalization, and 32 to 60 percent effective against infections requiring less intensive treatment.

Even if you get the flu, being vaccinated can reduce the severity of your symptoms — and that is a major benefit, Dr. Schaffner said.

“Each year, millions of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths are prevented by vaccination,” he said.

What are the side effects?

Flu shots can cause mild and short-lived side effects including soreness at the injection site, fatigue, fever, headache and muscle aches.

Serious side effects are very rare: One of the best known, Guillain-Barré syndrome, occurs in one or two vaccine recipients in a million, according to the C.D.C. and the World Health Organization. The risk of severe illness from a flu infection is many times higher.

Maggie Astor covers the intersection of health and politics for The Times.

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