Should You—and Can You—Get a COVID-19 Shot This Fall?
BU’s flu and COVID immunization clinics begin on the Medical Campus on Monday, September 29, and on the Charles River Campus on October 7.
Should You—and Can You—Get a COVID-19 Shot This Fall?
As BU announces COVID and flu vaccination clinics, we help you make sense of shifting federal and state guidelines
As temperatures dip, days shorten, and leaves begin to drop, seasonal viruses like influenza get ready to make their annual comeback. Throw in the potential for a COVID-19 spike, and the cooler months can be a season of aches, fevers, sore throats, and sniffles.
In preparation, many will want to protect themselves with their annual flu or COVID shot. But, with a rush of recent changes to vaccine guidelines at federal and state levels, some may wonder whether they should still get a shot—or if they’ll even be allowed to.
As Boston University announces a series of flu and COVID immunization clinics on both its Charles River and Medical Campuses, we have a guide to seasonal vaccinations, with details of how everyone at BU can get a shot, a rundown on state recommendations, and a conversation with BU healthcare and vaccination experts about who should get a shot and the potential impact of changes to vaccination guidelines.
How to Get a Flu or COVID Shot at BU
BU’s flu and COVID immunization clinics begin on the Medical Campus on Monday, September 29, and on the Charles River Campus on October 7, and run through November 14. For a full list of clinic dates and locations, and for details on how to book an appointment, students should visit the Student Health Services calendar and employees the Occupational Health Center website.
All students with BU’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) and all BU employees can receive the COVID-19 and flu vaccines at no cost. Students without BU SHIP can still attend the clinics and will be given a receipt for outside insurance reimbursement.
Massachusetts’ Guidance on Who Should or Can Get a COVID Vaccine
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, adults aged between 19 and 64 with a condition that puts them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 (or who live with those at increased risk) should get the latest COVID vaccine shot; those not at risk “may receive one dose,” says the state’s guidance. Similar recommendations were made for those aged under 19. The department also said pregnant people and healthcare workers should get a shot, and that the immunocompromised and adults over 65 should receive two doses of the latest vaccine (six months apart).
While the federal government has approved the 2025–26 season COVID vaccine, it only recommended the shots for older adults or people with serious health conditions if they’d consulted with a healthcare provider. It said most other people could get a shot after speaking with a provider. That advice was less restrictive than had been widely expected. But it still left many parsing an apparent tightening of vaccine access.
The shifting federal approach to vaccination had prompted many states, including Massachusetts, to issue their own guidelines in a push to keep expanded access. Massachusetts says its recommendations follow those of the Northeast Public Health Collaborative, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Making Sense of Conflicting Advice
Given the split between national and local guidance, The Brink spoke with Judy Platt, BU’s chief health officer and executive director of Student Health Services, and infectious diseases physician Cassandra Pierre, a BU Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine assistant professor of medicine and core faculty member at the BU Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases. We asked them both about who should and should not get a shot, where to turn for trusted advice, and how to better protect yourself from seasonal viruses.
Q&A
With Judy Platt and Cassandra Pierre
The Brink: Boston University is making the COVID-19 shots available for everyone. What informed that decision?
Platt: We want to reduce barriers to healthcare access when possible, reduce that barrier that folks may have if they are thinking, “Do I qualify?” The vaccine recommendations that Mass DPH just put out, which I think are helpful, are an attempt to show that we’re not saying everyone’s required or recommended to get the vaccine. The risk-benefit ratio is different, depending on a number of aspects of your personal health, as well as the health of those you are around.
The Brink: Is there anyone who shouldn’t get a COVID shot?
Platt: While the degree of benefit from getting a COVID shot may vary across certain populations, there are really very few people who should not get a COVID shot. People who have a severe allergic reaction are the only ones who should consider trying a different manufacturer or who may want to skip a COVID shot this season. There are some groups who should take precautions, including individuals with recent heart conditions [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a full list]. A healthcare provider who knows you and your family is a good place to start if you’re still feeling a little confused after you’ve digested vaccination information.
The Brink: What does the science say about the safety and effectiveness of COVID and flu vaccines?
Pierre: We have a lot of great evidence about safety and efficacy in the broad populations that we are providing COVID vaccinations for, which includes adults—and not just those who are healthy, but also those who are older, who are immunocompromised, who are at higher risk for severe COVID complications. We have evidence, through the trials, and then in real-world experience, to show that there is safety for individuals who are pregnant. And we have evidence about safety and efficacy in children and adolescents as well. Even in studies looking as recently as last year, there continues to remain benefit, especially when we think about reducing the risk of severe complications and death, as well as potentially, reductions in long COVID complications. The science has not changed. I tend to frame the recent [government] decisions and changes as more of a reliance on personal decision-making, rather than a change in the science.
For the annual flu vaccine, no changes in terms of who should be getting them: anyone over 6 months of age is recommended, but also those who have higher risk for severe disease, so young children, adults over the age of 65, pregnant people; those are all categories that have higher risk profiles.
The Brink: What do you think the impact of the changes in federal guidance might be?
Pierre: I think there is going to be a reduction in COVID vaccinations, as people will interpret the broader reduction in recommendations to mean that they are not eligible or may not benefit from those vaccines. For healthy young adults, there may not truly be much additional benefit to them in terms of protection from severe complications or death, but there’s still a benefit in reducing symptoms, potentially. The risk is that the people who are at higher risk—or their household contacts are—might also forego getting vaccinated as well. The concern is that we continue to have 200 to 300 COVID-related deaths every week and that number might rise.
The Brink: Massachusetts made a subtle shift, saying most adults may get vaccinated, rather than should get vaccinated. What prompted that?
Platt: I am proud of our state on this front and appreciate the nuance that they’re getting into. Part of the reason that there is a need to shift the messaging is because if you’re healthy and not one of those higher risk groups with chronic medical issues, or an older adult, the benefits of vaccination may be less robust for you. Taking that tailored approach makes sense to me as an individual healthcare provider who’s talking to patients. It’s giving people information and using evidence to say, “Here are the groups that we know the vaccine has demonstrated the most benefit for,” so that people don’t feel like it’s just a blanket recommendation. If it’s a little too detailed for some folks, then the next best option is to talk to a healthcare provider.
The Brink: Most people reading this have probably moved on from the coronavirus pandemic. If you’re healthy and have only had minor bouts with COVID, should you still get vaccinated?
Platt: We know that COVID and flu infections are common. There are certain times of year where they are more common, and, depending on your own set of individual risk factors, getting COVID or flu could mean a few days of feeling under the weather, possibly a fever, and then bouncing back, or it could mean a hospitalization, a worsening of an underlying condition like asthma, and many weeks of recovery. It’s important that everyone think about their own personal risk and how much they are willing to reduce that risk by getting vaccinated. I don’t want to oversimplify this message and say that everyone has to get the vaccine; the benefit is different, depending on age and underlying conditions. For flu, we have historically talked about vaccination being really important to decrease transmission; I don’t think the data on COVID vaccination reducing transmission is as robust yet, but if you don’t get sick, then you’re not passing the virus on to someone else.
The Brink: The federal government is saying one thing, Massachusetts another. With conflicting advice, how can people be sure they’re making the right decision?
Pierre: In my clinical context, where I do see patients, including people who have higher risk for severe COVID, we talk about what the science says—I’m always going from a science-based perspective. Then my counseling is: these are the things that might be helpful, this is what you yourself might expect to get from this, but I’m not making a blanket recommendation; I’m offering a choice. If people are feeling overwhelmed, talk to your trusted advisor. Looking at the state’s guidance, which I think is pretty clear, is also helpful. And if you don’t have a trusted medical advisor, please get one.
The Brink: What else can people do to minimize their chances of getting sick or making others sick this respiratory virus season?
Platt: There’s a number of things you can do to keep yourself healthy and well, even if you choose not to get vaccinated. Ensuring that you’re supporting your body and your immune system is important—getting a healthy amount of sleep, making sure you have time to eat meals that are restorative and replenishing, moving your body. Those things support your overall health, as well as support your immune system, so that, if you do get ill, you’ve got an immune system that’s ready to take over and fight things on your behalf.
