Vaccinations, treatments and health tips for flu season

About the authors: As respiratory disease season approaches, Maureen Tierney, MD, MSc., and Anne O’Keefe, MD, MPH, from the School of Medicine, Department of Clinical Research and Public Health, share their professional recommendations for annual influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments. For your personal situation, contact your own physician, healthcare professional or pharmacist.

Remember to keep yourself healthy by getting a good night’s sleep, which helps support your immune system. If you do get sick, contact your healthcare provider to see if you should be tested for treatable diseases, such as flu, strep throat or COVID-19. Lastly, stay home until you have been fever-free for more than 24 hours or, if you have no fever, until your cough is improving.

Your physician can help guide your decision about when to go back to work. If you still have a cough, consider reducing spreading germs to others by wearing a mask. Masks do a good job of catching germs you produce when coughing, sneezing or even talking. 

Influenza

Respiratory illnesses are starting to increase, right on schedule. Each year, national primary care physicians' organizations* recommend annual flu vaccination for everyone age 6 months or older during September or October. It takes two weeks for your immune system to be ready after a vaccination.

Flu vaccination has important benefits, including reducing flu illnesses, doctor visits, missed work and school, and flu-related hospitalizations and deaths. Flu vaccines reduce the risk of needing medical care by 30% to 60%.

All influenza vaccines have been updated for 2026-2027 and protect against three virus strains (H1N1, H3N2 and B/Victoria). There are also two new options this year: an mRNA-based vaccination and a self-administered nasal spray that can be administered at home.

Recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about influenza vaccination have not changed from last season. Key points include:

• Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every season, with rare exceptions. Vaccination is particularly important for people at higher risk of serious complications from influenza, especially:
  • Those under 2 but over 6 months
  • Those over 5
  • Those with underlying medical conditions including immunocompromise, pregnancy, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic pulmonary conditions
  • Those who are pregnant

There are several formulations of flu vaccine that have been approved. Different flu vaccines are approved for different age groups:

• Several flu shots are approved for people 6 months and older
• Two are approved only for adults 65 years and older
• The nasal spray flu vaccine is approved for people 2 to 49 years old, but not for people who are pregnant or those with certain medical conditions. The nasal spray can now be administered at home.
• A new mRNA-based flu vaccine is available for people 50 and older. The mRNA vaccine has been shown to be more effective than other formulations at reducing the risk of severe influenza illness.

For adults 65 and older, three flu vaccines are preferentially recommended: Fluzone High-Dose Quadrivalent, Flublok Quadrivalent and Fluad Quadrivalent. As we age, our immune system decreases and these higher-dose vaccines induce a greater and more effective immune response.

Flu vaccinations for Creighton students, faculty and staff can be obtained for free at the Shoo the Flu clinics on campus.

If you do get the flu, there are medications that can help you feel better faster and likely prevent more serious disease especially if you are over 65, immunocompromised, are pregnant or have chronic lung disease.

These medications include oseltamivir (Tamiflu), zanamivir (Relenza), peramivir (Rapivab) or baloxavir(Xofluza.) Contact your health care provider for more information.

RSV

For advice regarding RSV prevention, a primary care physician should be consulted regarding the most appropriate methods of prevention for those who are over 65, pregnant or under 2.

COVID-19

COVID-19 rates are also increasing across the country. According to the CDC, individuals at high risk for more serious influenza are also at higher risk for more serious COVID-19. Vaccination can help reduce the chance of more severe disease, hospitalization and death, especially in those at high risk. Many experts believe vaccination reduces the chance of developing long COVID.

Prevention

• Vaccination: getting the 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine is especially important if you:
  • Never received a COVID-19 vaccine
  • Are age 65 or older
  • Are living in a long-term care facility
  • Are at high risk for severe COVID-19 such as obesity, diabetes, asthma or chronic lung disease, chronic kidney disease, sickle cell disease, or who are immunocompromised among other conditions (refer to CDC list)
  • Want to lower your risk of getting Long COVID
  • Are pregnant, breastfeeding or might become pregnant in the near future

There are four types of COVID-19 vaccines available this fall:

• 2025–2026 Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: Spikevax for ages 6 months and older
• 2025–2026 Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine: mNexspike for ages 12 years and older
• 2025–2026 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine: Comirnaty for ages 5 years and older
• 2025–2026 Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine: Nuvaxovid for ages 12 years and older

The first three are mRNA based vaccines, the fourth is a more traditionally developed vaccine.

Treatment

This year, the FDA approved a new medication that has been shown to reduce the chance of developing COVID-19 after close exposure to someone with the disease. The medication, called ensitrelvir (Xocova), should be taken within 72 hours of exposure.

For those who develop COVID-19, Paxlovid, or nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, will likely improve symptoms more quickly and may reduce the chance of severe disease. If you think you may have COVID-19 or have been exposed, contact your physician and consider testing.