Our Recommendations for Flu and COVID Vaccines

We’ve been receiving many inquiries this year about the flu and COVID vaccines, because there are more choices now than ever. These are our recommendations.

2026–2027 Flu Vaccine

There is a new mRNA flu vaccine on the market. It may be slightly more effective than the conventional flu vaccine, but that remains to be confirmed. In the absence of convincing evidence that the mRNA vaccine is preferable to the older technology, we recommend the conventional flu vaccine for most patients.

The chief advantage of the mRNA technology is that it allows you to ramp up production of a new vaccine much faster than with the older technologies, which is why it was so useful for COVID vaccines. If it turns out that the components of this year’s flu vaccine are a poor match for the strains causing flu this winter, it’s possible that a new version of the mRNA flu vaccine will be released. In that situation, the mRNA flu vaccine might be advisable for high-risk individuals.

2026–2027 Flu Vaccine for Adults 65+

We also receive many questions about the senior flu shot. The senior flu shot is quadruple strength. It’s equivalent to getting four flu shots simultaneously.

Not surprisingly, the senior flu shot is somewhat more effective, but also more likely to cause side effects such as low-grade fever, headaches, and body aches.

The CDC recommends the senior flu shot for everyone over age 65. This is certainly appropriate for those at high risk for complications from the flu, such as those of advanced age and those with underlying medical problems.

However, for those in their late 60s or early 70s who are basically healthy, either the senior shot or the regular shot is reasonable.

2026–2027 COVID-19 Vaccine

Moderna has released a new version of its COVID vaccine this year, called mNEXSPIKE. The older vaccine, called Spikevax, remains on the market.

The two vaccines are equally effective. The advantage of the newer vaccine is that, owing to advances in technology, it contains much less mRNA than the older version — roughly one-fifth as much mRNA.

If you would like to limit the amount of mRNA that you are receiving, you should look for mNEXSPIKE. However, it is not more effective than Spikevax.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are equally effective. It doesn’t matter which one you get.

When should I get my flu and/or COVID-19 vaccine?

Since the benefit of flu vaccine starts to wane after 3–4 months, many people want to make sure they aren’t getting the vaccine too soon or too late.

However, trying to time the flu season is a bit like trying to time the stock market — good luck with that. Last year, the flu season began in November and was tailing off by January, significantly earlier than in most previous years.

Any time in September or October is reasonable for the flu vaccine, as well as the COVID vaccine.

You can either get them at the same time or separate them by two weeks. Since we’re already seeing cases of COVID, if you’re going to separate them, you should get the COVID vaccine first.