What You Really Need to Know About the RSV Vaccine for Fall 2024

If you’re pregnant, have a baby, or are 60+, you should be paying attention to this virus.
RSV vaccine
Illustration: Giacomo Gambineri

When summer wraps up and the seasons start to change, that means it’s juuuust about time for your annual COVID and flu shots. For some folks, the fall to-do list should now include an important third jab—a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. (The FDA approved the first one in 2023.) While flu and COVID cases tend to spike later in the fall and winter months, RSV season can hit sooner, which means it’s a good idea to get the vaccine as soon as possible—if you qualify. This particular virus, for some people, can feel like a run-of-the-mill cold—think stuffy or runny nose, cough, and sneezing—but it can be serious in others, resulting in pneumonia that may require a trip to the hospital, particularly for babies and older adults.

The CDC just released new recommendations for the shot in June 2024, focusing on folks that are 60 or older, who are generally more likely to get really sick from the germ. But that doesn’t mean younger adults are off the hook. There’s a lot you can (and should!) do to prevent the spread of RSV to vulnerable people.

Here’s everything you need to know about the RSV vaccine for fall 2024.

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Who needs the RSV vaccine?

As we mentioned, for most of us—kids older than a year and adults younger than 60—an RSV infection essentially seems like a cold (annoying and uncomfortable, but typically not dangerous). For people with weaker immune systems or certain health problems, RSV can be super risky.

That’s why the new adult recs are such big news. “We’re really happy to have a vaccine because it’s a problem we’ve been looking for a solution for a long time,” Michelle Prickett, MD, a pulmonologist and critical care physician at Northwestern Medicine, tells SELF.

The CDC says everyone 75 years and older should get the shot, if they didn’t get the vaccine last year. (Again, the first RSV vaccine was approved in May of 2023, so one RSV season has passed. And if you already got it, you don’t usually need another—one-and-done is typically enough.)

People aged 60 to 74 who have health issues like lung or heart problems, should also roll up their sleeves, per the new CDC guidelines. “If you’re in this age group and you have a weakened immune system due to chemotherapy or other immune-suppressing medications, there’s also an increased risk for severe illness from RSV,” Michael Chang, MD, an infectious disease physician at UTHealth Houston tells SELF. The same is true for people living in nursing homes or who have uncontrolled diabetes, adds Dr. Chang.

Need a little more motivation to get to the clinic or pharmacy? This vaccine seems to work. There are currently three different FDA-approved adult RSV vaccinations, and each one has been shown to be more than 70% effective when it comes to preventing hospitalizations for older folks in clinical trials.

Should pregnant people get an RSV shot?

Yes: The CDC also recommends that you get one during the third trimester to protect your baby from severe RSV after they’re born. Like older people, babies can get really sick from this virus. In March 2023, Gena Kaufman’s four-month-old came down with typical cold symptoms. A few days later, Kaufman, a 42-year-old social media strategist from New York, noticed her baby was having difficulty breathing.

A relative urged Kaufman to go to a pediatric emergency department, and her daughter was admitted; it took four days for her oxygen levels to stabilize. Thankfully, she is healthy today—but Kaufman says the hospital admission was super scary, and she felt helpless seeing her little girl covered in wires and monitors. “The absolute worst part was the ER and getting admitted, watching them put that IV in her and getting the oxygen on her and getting it taped on,” Kaufman says. “At that point we really didn’t know what was wrong with her or what would happen.”

While there isn’t a traditional vaccine specifically for newborns—just one for pregnant people—there is another option for babies under eight months—a shot that contains RSV-fighting monoclonal antibodies. Typically given in the hospital after a child is born, these antibodies can ward off the virus. “It accomplishes what vaccination does, but instead of the child’s immune system having to do that, you’re just giving them the antibodies,” William Petri, MD, PhD, professor of immunology and infectious disease at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, tells SELF.

Some babies and young children who are at a higher risk for severe RSV illness may also be eligible for the antibody shot—your child’s doctor can let you know for sure.

When is the best time to get the RSV vaccine?

ASAP, for older people. “I recommend going ahead and getting it if you haven’t already,” says Dr. Chang, since it takes a few weeks for your immune system to create antibodies that protect you from RSV. However, you can really get the RSV vaccine anytime (even when it’s not cold and flu season).

If you’re pregnant you also qualify for the RSV shot, depending on the time of year. Health experts recommend getting the RSV vaccine, ideally between weeks 32 and 36. Timing is important, because again, it can take a couple of weeks for a pregnant person’s immunity to kick in and pass that protection on to the fetus. The vaccine for pregnant people is available between September and January, but your healthcare provider can recommend the exact best time to get it.

The monoclonal antibody shot for infants is available October through March, per the CDC. Babies younger than eight months whose parent didn’t get the RSV shot during pregnancy should get the monoclonal antibodies before their first RSV season. For example: If your child was born in the spring, and you weren’t vaccinated when you were pregnant, giving them monoclonal antibodies in September would protect your little one for the RSV season.

Should I get the RSV shot every year?

For adults, studies show that a vaccine can help prevent severe RSV for up to two years. But as of now, as we mentioned, the RSV is a one-and-done shot—meaning the CDC recommends just one vaccine rather than a yearly schedule. For babies, the antibody shot lasts for just the RSV season, when they’re most vulnerable.

But these guidelines could change with more research. “We're saying it’s one time and it lasts for 2 years because it’s all we know so far,” says Dr. Chang. “As we have more time, we’ll know how long it actually works.” It bears reminding: Always follow your health care provider’s suggestions about vaccines.

Can I get the flu, COVID, and RSV shot all at once?

Good question—all three of these vaccines are important for protecting yourself and others from illness. The answer is technically, yes. If it’s easier for you to get them all done at the same time, go for it. “There’s no reason not to get it with other vaccines,” says Dr. Petri. “RSV, flu, and COVID could all be given at the same time, then you’ll have every vaccine against things that cause pneumonia.”

But because RSV usually circulates before flu and COVID, it’s fine to space them out. Keep in mind too: If you get more than one shot at the same time, you might be at risk for feeling crummy afterward, with the typical symptoms people can get like arm pain, muscle pain, and headache.

Where can I get the RSV shot?

If you’re eligible, you should be able to get the vaccine at your doctor’s office or local pharmacy, whether you’re 60-plus or pregnant. Babies whose parent didn’t get the vaccine during pregnancy often get the antibody injection in the hospital, but you can also ask your pediatrician about it—it’s best to get it within one week of birth. Ask your health care provider if you qualify, if you’re not sure.

The shot for adults shouldn’t be cost-prohibitive: The RSV shot is covered by Medicare, and many private insurance providers cover it too (they’re required to as of fall 2023). Not sure? Call your insurance plan to find out if it’s covered and where you should go.

I don’t qualify for an RSV shot. What should I do?

At the moment, the CDC doesn’t have official RSV recommendations for healthy people who are eight months of age or older or younger than 60. Dr. Prickett says she typically has a difficult time getting insurance to approve the RSV vaccine for people who don’t meet the CDC guidelines, but if you’re concerned, you can definitely ask your doc whether the vaccine is a good idea.

RSV immunization is a growing area of research, so things could change over time (meaning adults under 60 with certain medical conditions could get it down the road). “If you’re between 18 and 60, it hasn’t been studied, so there’s ultimately not enough data to draw conclusions now, but there could be in the future,” says Dr. Chang. “I think there’s more to come with these RSV vaccines.”

If you can’t get the shot right now, don’t worry: You can still protect others by preventing the spread of the virus. The same principles apply as they do to many other respiratory germs: Stay home if you’re sick and physically distance or mask for five days after you go back to your normal activities (you should be fever-free for 24 hours and your symptoms should be improving). And if you have kids who are sick, don’t visit older relatives until they’re well.

You can also encourage the older people in your life to get the vaccine if they haven’t already. “If you have elderly parents or grandparents, tell them it’s an important thing to protect their health,” says Dr. Petri.

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