Ever notice how getting a flu shot used to be simple? Walk into a pharmacy, roll up your sleeve, done. This year it's gotten complicated, and if you're over 65, it's worth understanding why.
I travel full-time, which means I don't have one doctor who tracks my shot history. I ask questions. I check what's recommended, compare it to what's available, and make my own call. This flu and COVID season, that habit paid off, because the rules have genuinely changed.
Here's what happened. Over the past year, the Trump administration pulled back federal vaccine guidance. In 2025, it limited COVID vaccine recommendations. Then in January 2026, a memo removed universal recommendations for several childhood vaccines, including flu, meningococcal disease, COVID-19, and hepatitis A and B. A federal judge blocked parts of that in March, specifically the COVID and Hep B pieces, and the Department of Health and Human Services said it would appeal. Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order pushing for more "vaccine flexibility" and fewer childhood shots, repeating claims that aren't backed by evidence.
So who do you listen to when the federal government keeps changing its mind?
Massachusetts didn't wait around for an answer. The state's Department of Public Health and the Boston Public Health Commission both adopted independent guidelines built by a coalition of major medical groups: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Backing that up, the University of Minnesota's Vaccine Integrity Project teamed with the American Medical Association to review nearly 300 peer-reviewed studies, published in JAMA. "The American public deserves clear, credible information based on the best available scientific evidence," said AMA President-elect Dr. Sandra Adamson Fryhofer. That's the kind of statement I can get behind — show me the data, let me decide.
What Massachusetts recommends for flu shots
For most people, it's simple: anyone 6 months and older should get an annual flu vaccine. If you're 65 or up, the state recommends going a step further with an enhanced version — high dose, adjuvanted, recombinant, or mRNA — when it's available. Pregnant people and immunocompromised folks should get the shot too, just skip the nasal spray version.
Why bother? The numbers make the case. The Vaccine Integrity Project's review found flu vaccination cut hospitalizations by 31% in people 65 and older. Among kids and teens, it was 80% effective at preventing flu-related deaths in confirmed cases. And when pregnant women got vaccinated, their newborns had a 44% lower risk of symptomatic illness in their first six months.
What Massachusetts recommends for COVID shots
The pattern's similar but with a twist for older adults. Adults 19 and up are advised to get an annual updated COVID vaccine. If you're 65 or older, Massachusetts recommends a second dose six months after the first, since protection seems to fade faster in that age group.
The CDC's own current stance is softer — it calls COVID vaccination a "shared clinical decision" between you and your doctor rather than a blanket recommendation. That gap between federal and state guidance is exactly why I think it pays to ask questions instead of assuming one source has the full picture.
The data behind Massachusetts' recommendation: updated COVID vaccination was 53% effective against hospitalization in adults 65 and older, and cut hospitalization roughly in half for adults 18 to 64. In young kids, 9 months to 4 years old, it reduced COVID-related ER visits by 76%. Babies born to vaccinated mothers were 50 to 54% less likely to need a COVID-related hospital visit in their first two months of life.
Where to find a shot near you
Massachusetts points residents to vaccinefinder.org. Enter your zip code, and it'll show pharmacies, grocery stores, and clinics nearby offering both vaccines.
I'll be honest, I don't follow every recommendation blindly, wherever I happen to be in the world. But I do dig into the research, ask my doctor real questions, and make an informed call. That's not age-related caution. That's just how I operate at any age, 69 included. Figure out what the evidence actually says, then decide what's right for you.
Source: Cape Cod Times
Before this, we covered: What You Eat After 65 Might Say More About Your Happiness Than You Think
