Seasonal Respiratory Immunizations
As in past years, your care team at Personal Physicians HealthCare has reviewed the available guidance and recommendations from leading physician societies and other trusted sources to provide you with our advice regarding vaccination for the upcoming 2026-2027 respiratory illness season.
If you receive a vaccination outside of Massachusetts, please remember to notify your care team so that we can properly update your vaccination records with the office.
Influenza Vaccine
We have received our supply of influenza vaccine, and we will be administering the influenza vaccine to our patients at office visits throughout the 2026-2027 fall and winter season. September through December is generally the optimal time to receive a flu vaccine, although vaccination later in the season remains appropriate while influenza viruses are circulating. Flu vaccines are also widely available at pharmacies, and we expect that for some of our patients this will be a more convenient option. We consider this a safe and completely acceptable alternative to receiving the flu vaccine in our office.
This year, all available flu vaccine formulations are trivalent (covering 3 strains: two strains of type A influenza and one strain of type B influenza). All three components have been updated from last year to better match the strains expected to circulate during the 2026-2027 influenza season.
We will be administering the trivalent Fluzone influenza vaccine in our office to patients under the age of 65.
For people ages 65 and older, higher-dose, recombinant, or adjuvanted vaccines are preferentially recommended over standard-dose, non-adjuvanted vaccines. Fluzone High-Dose contains four times the antigen of a standard-dose influenza vaccine, and Flublok is a recombinant, egg-free vaccine. We will generally be administering Fluzone High-Dose to our patients ages 65 and older, with Flublok also available when appropriate.
Lastly, a new mRNA-based influenza vaccine, mFLUSIVA, manufactured by Moderna, was approved by the FDA in August 2026 for adults ages 50 and older. Clinical trials demonstrated that this vaccine was effective at preventing influenza; however, it was associated with substantially more short-term reactions such as injection-site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, and chills than traditional influenza vaccines. Although these reactions were generally mild to moderate and serious adverse events were not increased, we have elected not to offer mFLUSIVA in our office this season. Given the long safety record and generally better tolerability of the influenza vaccines we already administer, we believe these remain appropriate choices for our patients while additional experience with this new vaccine accumulates.
We recommend keeping 3-in-1 Rapid Antigen Tests on hand for at-home use, so you can quickly check for influenza and COVID-19 as soon as symptoms appear. In addition, this year we will be offering BIOFIRE SPOTFIRE PCR tests in-office which will allow your care team to more readily identify the cause of respiratory illness and guide treatment decisions.
Egg Allergy and Flu Shot Selection
Most flu vaccines today continue to be produced using an egg-based manufacturing process and therefore contain a small amount of egg proteins, such as ovalbumin. However, large-scale studies have demonstrated that severe allergic reactions to egg-based flu vaccines in people with egg allergy are very unlikely. The recombinant influenza vaccine, Flublok, is an egg-free vaccine and is now approved for people 9 years of age and older.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all people ages 6 months and older with egg allergy receive an influenza vaccine. People with egg allergy may receive ANY flu vaccine (egg-based or non-egg based) that is otherwise appropriate for their age and health status. Importantly, even for people with a history of severe allergic reactions to egg, no additional safety measures are recommended beyond those used for any vaccine. As with all vaccinations, vaccines should be given in a setting equipped to recognize and treat a severe allergic reaction should one occur.
We are continuing to offer Flublok (egg-free) vaccine in our office to our egg allergic patients who prefer this option.
RSV Vaccine
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus which typically causes mild respiratory or “cold-like” symptoms in healthy adults. RSV can cause severe illness, however, particularly in infants and older adults. The CDC estimates that every year RSV causes approximately 110,000–180,000 hospitalizations among adults ages 50 and older. Those at highest risk for severe RSV illness include older adults, adults with chronic heart or lung disease, adults with weakened immune systems or certain other chronic medical conditions, and adults living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities.
The CDC recommends RSV vaccination for the following adults who have not previously received an RSV vaccine:
- Everyone ages 75 and older.
- People ages 50-74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV because of certain chronic medical conditions, frailty, immune compromise, or residence in a nursing home or other long-term care facility.
The RSV vaccine is currently a one-time vaccine (not an annual vaccine). People who have already received an RSV vaccine do not need another dose at this time. Eligible adults can get an RSV vaccine at any time of year, but the best time to get vaccinated is in the late summer and early fall before RSV typically starts to spread in communities. Post-marketing monitoring has identified a small possible increased risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome after the Pfizer and GSK RSV vaccines; the FDA has added this information to their prescribing information. The CDC continues to conclude that the benefits of RSV vaccination outweigh this potential risk for the groups for whom vaccination is recommended. We advise consideration of a one-time RSV vaccination for patients who meet the criteria above.
For Medicare patients with Part D drug coverage, ACIP-recommended adult vaccines such as RSV are covered without a copayment or deductible. The RSV vaccine may be given at a pharmacy or, depending on the patient's plan and the office's ability to bill the Part D benefit, in a physician's office. For many patients, a pharmacy remains the simplest place to receive it.
As a general comment, please be aware that pharmacies may suggest vaccines for which you are eligible, even when the timing or need depends on your prior vaccination history and individual risk factors. A common example would be pneumococcal pneumonia vaccines, which are not considered seasonal vaccinations and should not be repeated annually. Pneumococcal vaccination is now routinely recommended for adults ages 50 and older, but the specific vaccine and whether an additional dose is needed depend on which pneumococcal vaccines you have received previously. We provide pneumococcal vaccination in our office at routine visits when medically appropriate, and would advise you to discuss this with us at your annual examination.
Before agreeing to any vaccines other than the flu or COVID-19 vaccines, be sure to check with your physician regarding your history and needs.
COVID-19 Vaccine
This spring, the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) met on May 28, 2026, to discuss and make recommendations on the selection of the 2026-2027 formula for COVID-19 vaccines for use in the United States beginning in the fall of 2026.
Based on review of available data on the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 virus variants, current vaccine effectiveness, and immune responses to current vaccines against recently circulating variants, the FDA advised manufacturers that the COVID-19 vaccines for use in the United States beginning in fall 2026 should be monovalent JN.1-lineage vaccines using the XFG variant. This is intended to more closely match currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 viruses.
The FDA has now approved updated 2026-2027 formulations from the current manufacturers. The approved indications generally include adults ages 65 and older and younger people with underlying conditions that put them at increased risk for severe COVID-19, with specific age ranges varying by vaccine
.
As with prior COVID-19 vaccines, we expect that people with increased risk of severe COVID-19 disease due to age, medical conditions or immune suppressing medications will be the most likely to benefit from receiving an updated COVID-19 booster. For this reason, we would recommend that patients who are at increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 infection receive the updated booster.
This year, the AMA published a consolidated set of recommendations across various populations for flu, RSV and COVID-19, which can be found at the following link. For most adults, the AMA recommends an annual updated COVID-19 vaccine, with adults 65 and older advised to receive a second dose six months later to boost protection. Available data suggests that the risk-to-benefit balance is less clear for people of average risk than for those at higher risk, and for this reason we consider the booster to be a personal choice for people who are not at increased risk of COVID related complications based on their age or other medical illnesses and risk factors.
If you are planning to receive a COVID-19 vaccine this fall, we suggest waiting for the updated 2026-2027 vaccine rather than receiving a prior-season formulation that may still be available. Our office anticipates that we will receive updated COVID vaccines the week of September 7th. If you have any trouble accessing the Member Resource Center on our website, please contact the office should you have any issues accessing the Member Resource Center and its articles.
Masking for Respiratory Illness
We will continue to ask that patients visiting our office with any respiratory infection wear a mask while in our office to prevent inadvertent spread of influenza, RSV, or COVID-19 to other patients who may be vulnerable to severe infection.
As always, we are happy to discuss any questions you have about vaccinations as it applies to your individual personal circumstances.
