Vaccine Information

While there are simple ways you can prevent illness, like washing hands and staying away from people who are sick, getting vaccinated is the most effective line of defense against COVID-19 and the flu.

RSV vaccines for older adults and pregnant women, and antibody treatments for infants, are available to prevent vulnerable populations from severe illness.

One of the best ways to protect yourself from flu is to get vaccinated. Ideally you should get a flu vaccine before flu viruses begin spreading in the community, since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against flu. We encourage getting immunized before the end of October in order to be well protected for the typical flu season.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a flu vaccine every year for two reasons:

1. There are many different flu viruses and the viruses are constantly changing, so flu vaccines may be updated from one season to the next to protect against the most recent and most commonly circulating viruses.
2. A person’s immune protection from vaccination declines over time, so annual vaccination is needed for optimal protection.It’s especially important that the following groups get vaccinated, either because they are at high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing flu-related complications:

• • Pregnant women
  • Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
  • People 50 years of age and older
  • People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
  • People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
  • People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
    • Health care workers
    • Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
    • Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)

For a complete list of all people recommended for flu vaccination, as well as those who are not recommended for flu vaccination, visit the CDC’s page, Who Needs a Flu Vaccine.

MultiCare offers walk-in appointments for flu shots for both adults and children at a wide range of locations throughout the regions we serve. Call ahead to make sure the location of your choice has shots available.

COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective at preventing infections, serious illness, hospitalizations and death. Vaccines also reduce the chances of experiencing long COVID if you do get sick.

The CDC updated their guidelines to recommend that everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall and winter, for two reasons:

1. The virus that causes COVID-19 is always changing.
2. A person’s immune protection from vaccination declines over time.

Getting an updated COVID-19 vaccine can help provide better protection against the variants currently responsible for most illnesses and hospitalizations.

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are available by appointment only at MultiCare pharmacies. Call ahead to make sure the location of your choice has shots available.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) doesn’t typically cause serious illness in healthy children and adults. But for older adults and infants under 1 year of age, RSV can develop into more serious respiratory illnesses like pneumonia or bronchiolitis that potentially require hospitalization.

The CDC recommends RSV immunizations for people 75 and older and for those 60-74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV.

To protect babies, the CDC recommends a vaccine for pregnant women and an RSV antibody treatment for infants.

The maternal vaccine allows antibodies to transfer to babies in utero, giving protection against RSV when the baby is born.

The RSV monoclonal antibody treatment, nirsevimab, is an injection given to babies younger than 8 months born during RSV season. Most of the time, if a mother received an RSV vaccine at least 14 days before delivery, nirsevimab is not necessary. Babies over 8 months old who are not at an increased risk for severe RSV disease should not receive nirsevimab.

Learn more about the CDC recommendations for these treatments and ways to prevent RSV.

RSV vaccines are available by appointment only at MultiCare pharmacies. Call ahead to make sure the location of your choice has shots available.