Annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and older.

While a few particulars around the CDC's guidelines for flu recommendations have changed, their messaging is consistent with previous years: everyone aged 6 months or older is recommended to get vaccinated against the 2021-2022 circulation of influenza strains. There are a couple of exceptions to this recommendation, which the CDC has outlined in an accompanying web page.

The CDC has also expressly said that influenza and COVID-19 vaccines can be safely administered at the same time, offering patients a chance to get vaccinated against multiple vectors of infection at once. This clarifies some concerns that were raised by the public last year about the timing between COVID-19 vaccinations and more routine seasonal vaccinations.

All vaccines prescribed for the 2021-2022 flu season will be quadrivalent, which means they're designed to offer protection against four different flu strains. More information about what these strains are (and how they're chosen) accompanies the CDC recommendation and can be found here. Quadrivalent vaccinations can vary slightly from more "traditional" immunizations, like MMR, because they incorporate elements of "B" strains, which are lower circulation flu lineages that are designed to provide patients with greater protection against possible mutations over the course of the season. 

Information regarding the composition of this year's vaccines, including clinical data on all of its components, can be found here. 

The CDC's recommendation for flu shots comes at a time when fewer adults are getting them compared to previous years.

"We are worried the incredibly low influence rates that we saw last season could create a rebound influence epidemic this year," says Dr. Mark Roberts, who serves as the director of the Public Health Dynamics Laboratory within the University of Pittsburgh.

Although flu rates dipped to historic lows during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, many experts are worried the trend will reverse across this year, as many of the social distancing practices that initially lowered the influenza transmission rate are not in place anymore.

The CDC clarifies that vaccination doesn't come with a 100% guarantee of protection against catching the flu; however, it offers significant protection against the risk of getting seriously sick from it. This means, all things considered, a vaccinated person will experience significantly milder flu symptoms than an unvaccinated person.

The data supports this claim, as the vast majority of hospitalizations for the flu are unvaccinated people each year.

Your best options for getting a flu shot can vary slightly depending on where you live and who your health provider is. In many cases, a general or family practice doctor will be able to provide a flu shot—or at least directly recommend you to a vaccination provider. Commercial pharmacies like Walgreens also have accommodating flu shot programs. If nothing else, the national flu shot dashboard is a useful tool in finding affordable and accessible flu shots near you! 

Although it can feel like spring is right around the corner, there are still a few weeks left in flu season, and it's possible the year's influenza peak might still be ahead of us. This is why the CDC stresses that getting a flu shot is the best individual source of protection a person can have against getting seriously sick this season.