Check out this list of what you need and when
Published by: AARP
You already know it’s important to get your flu vaccine every year, ideally by the end of October. And when you go in for the shot, it’s a great time to make sure you’re up-to-date on all the other immunizations you should be receiving as an adult.
1. Influenza Vaccine
Who needs it: All adults, no matter the age.
2. COVID-19 Vaccine
Who needs it: It’s recommended for everyone 6 months and older, and especially for people 50 and older, who are considered to be at increased risk for complications from a coronavirus infection
3. RSV vaccine
Who needs it: Adults 60 and older should talk to their doctor to see if this new vaccine, which protects against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), is a good option for them.
4. Pneumococcal vaccine
Who needs it: Healthy adults 65 and older, or adults 19-64 with certain risk factors (smoking, or health problems, such as chronic lung or heart disease, leukemia, lymphoma, or alcoholism).
5. Tdap vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) and/or the Td booster (tetanus, diphtheria)
Who needs it: The Tdap vaccine came out in 2005, and along with protecting against tetanus and diphtheria, like the vaccine it replaced, it includes additional protection against whooping cough, also known as pertussis.
6. Shingles (herpes zoster) vaccine
Who needs it: The CDC recommends that everyone 50 and older get the Shingrix shingles vaccine, even if they had the earlier recommended vaccine, Zostavax — which was much less effective — and even if they’ve already had shingles.
7. Hepatitis A vaccine
Who needs it: People 50 and older who are at high risk for hepatitis A, a disease of the liver. Infections result primarily from travel to another country where hepatitis A virus transmission is common, through close contact with a hepatitis A–A-infected individual, or recreational drug use.
8. Hepatitis B vaccine
Who needs it: Adults 50 and older who are at risk for contracting hepatitis B, a liver infection. Hepatitis B is transmitted when a body fluid (blood, semen, saliva) from a person infected with the hepatitis B virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. This can happen through sexual contact, or contact with blood or open sores (say, from a job that exposes you to human bodily fluids) or sharing anything from a needle to a razor to a toothbrush with an infected person. Other risk factors for infection include being on kidney dialysis, traveling to countries where hepatitis B is common, or having HIV.