CDC recommends getting an updated COVID vaccine for the fall

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending all Americans receive an updated COVID-19 shot this fall.

The recommendation comes amid a slight uptick in COVID cases in some parts of the U.S., according to CDC data. The agency recommends everyone 6 months and older receive an updated 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine “to protect against the potentially serious outcomes” of the virus.

“Our top recommendation for protecting yourself and your loved ones from respiratory illness is to get vaccinated,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen said in a statement. “Make a plan now for you and your family to get both updated flu and COVID vaccines this fall, ahead of the respiratory virus season.”

The agency recommended everyone to get the shot “whether or not they have ever previously been vaccinated” with a COVID-19 vaccine. Updated vaccines will be available sometime later this year from Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax.

In 2023, more than 916,300 people were hospitalized due to COVID-19 and more than 75,500 people died from the virus. That was down from 244,000 deaths in 2022. 

The CDC also recommended that all Americans 6 months and older receive the flu vaccine, noting that it will offer protection against the against H1N1, H3N2 and a B/Victoria lineage virus.

And during the 2023-24 flu season, more than 44,900 people are estimated to have died from flu complications.

The CDC emphasized that it was safe to receive the flu and COVID shots at the same time.