Flu, RSV, COVID-19, and other respiratory illness updates, risks, and prevention advice.
CDC’s practical “two-part” return rule for respiratory virus symptoms is: symptoms are getting better overall AND you’ve been fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medicine. Here’s a calm checklist for families, schools, and workplaces—plus when to get medical advice faster.
CDC’s “Activity Levels” turn community respiratory-virus surveillance into five labels (Very Low → Very High). Here’s how to interpret the signals—wastewater, emergency department/ARI activity, and severe-illness context—and what families, schools, and workplaces can do next without panic.
Not usually by default. The FDA has chosen an XFG-based formula for COVID vaccines expected to begin in fall 2026, but that does not replace the 2025-2026 shots available under current CDC guidance right now.
An FDA advisory vote moved Moderna’s mRNA flu shot closer for adults 50 and older, but it is not approved yet. For most people, current CDC guidance still points to getting an age-appropriate flu vaccine on the usual fall schedule instead of waiting.
On June 18, 2026, an FDA advisory committee backed Moderna’s investigational mRNA flu vaccine for adults 50 and older—but the product is not approved yet. For most people, the safer practical choice is to get the recommended 2026–2027 flu shot when it’s available, then revisit updates after FDA’s final decision.
CDC’s June 1, 2026 outlook says a summer COVID-19 increase is possible, especially in parts of the South and West, but current trend data do not show a broad national surge. Here’s what that means for households, caregivers, schools, and workers.
CDC says eligible adults can get an RSV vaccine at any time, but the best window is late summer or early fall, before RSV usually starts spreading in the community. Current guidance recommends one dose for adults 75 and older and for adults 50 to 74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV illness.
RSV is still showing up in parts of the United States even as overall respiratory illness remains very low. CDC says the season arrived later than expected in many regions, which is why some communities may still see RSV activity in May. For older adults and others at higher risk, now is still a good time to check vaccine status and watch for warning signs.
CDC says some older adults and higher-risk adults should get a one-time RSV shot, COVID-19 vaccination for 2025–2026 is based on age and shared decision-making, and flu planning is already underway for the 2026–2027 season. For families, caregivers, schools, and workplaces, the practical message is simple: stay current, think about timing, and ask a trusted clinician what fits your age and risk.
Current U.S. guidance says adults 75 and older who have never had an RSV shot should get one dose now, with no repeat dose advised at this time.
As of February 2026, CDC estimated that 65.1% of U.S. infants born since April 1, 2025 were already protected against RSV through maternal immunization only or an infant monoclonal antibody, with another 9.1% of parents saying they definitely planned to get the infant product. For most babies, protection comes from one route or the other, not both. ([cdc.gov](https://www.cdc.gov/rsvvaxview/dashboard/index.html))
CDC says adults 75 and older should get one RSV shot, and adults 50 to 74 should get it only if they have certain high-risk conditions, frailty, or nursing home residence. For healthy adults under 75, current guidance usually means you can wait. ([cdc.gov](https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/hcp/vaccine-clinical-guidance/adults.html))
The move to trivalent flu vaccines did not appear to leave Americans unprotected against a major circulating strain. This season’s weaker flu-shot performance looks more tied to drifted viruses, especially H3N2, than to dropping the long-absent B/Yamagata component.
CDC says U.S. flu activity is falling but still elevated as of March 27, 2026. This season has brought unusually high hospitalization burden, high pediatric severity, and weaker-than-usual vaccine performance against a drifted H3N2 strain—yet vaccination and early antiviral treatment still matter right now. ([cdc.gov](https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2026-week-11.html))
CDC says this season’s flu shot offered lower-than-usual protection in adults, but that does not mean it was useless. For people 65 and older, the key steps now are to stay vaccinated, use an age-preferred shot when possible, and seek antiviral treatment quickly if symptoms begin.
CDC’s new nursing-home respiratory virus toolkit gives families a practical way to ask better questions. If you are choosing, visiting, or monitoring a nursing home, here are the five things to ask about vaccines, testing, treatment, outbreak response, and communication.
New CDC data show the 2025-26 flu shot was a weaker match against drifted viruses, but it still lowered the odds of doctor visits and hospitalization. Here’s what happened, who should seek treatment quickly, and what is changing for next season.
As of March 27, 2026, the CDC still clearly recommends 2 doses of the 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccine for adults 65 and older. Here is how the timing works, why age still matters, what Medicare covers, and what remains uncertain.
People with moderate to severe asthma are at higher risk for complications from flu and COVID-19. Here’s what current CDC guidance says about vaccines, RSV prevention, and when to seek urgent care during the 2025–2026 respiratory virus season.
The CDC now uses one symptom-based approach for COVID-19, flu, and RSV: stay home when sick, return after symptoms improve and you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours, then use added precautions for several more days. Here’s what that means for families, schools, and workplaces during the 2025–2026 season.
The CDC now uses unified guidance for COVID‑19, flu, and RSV. Here’s when to stay home, when to return to work or school, how testing and masking fit in, and what higher‑risk families should know.
Sewage may not be glamorous, but it’s become one of the country’s most useful early warning systems for COVID-19, flu, and RSV. Here’s how CDC’s wastewater surveillance works—and how families should interpret rising or falling trends.
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