Choosing a Flu Shot After 65: CDC Preferentially Recommends High-Dose, Recombinant or Adjuvanted Vaccines
With this flu season already under way, many older adults find several flu vaccine options at the pharmacy. The CDC's clinical guidance for the 2026-27 season, issued September 1, confirms that the recommendations in the July 2025 immunization schedule remain in effect: adults 65 and older should preferentially receive one of three enhanced flu vaccines.
The three enhanced options are the high-dose inactivated vaccine (Fluzone High-Dose), which contains four times the antigen of a standard dose; the recombinant vaccine (Flublok), which is not grown in eggs; and the adjuvanted inactivated vaccine (Fluad), whose adjuvant is designed to promote a stronger immune response. CDC's evidence review suggests these vaccines may protect people 65 and older better than standard-dose vaccines, which is why they are preferentially recommended.
The CDC also cautions that if none of the three is available, older adults should not delay vaccination to wait for one; any age-appropriate flu vaccine is better than none, and getting protected early matters more. Nearly everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every year, and all flu vaccines used in the United States this season are trivalent. With the season already under way, older adults who have not yet been vaccinated can ask their pharmacy or doctor about availability of the enhanced vaccines. (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：流感疫苗接种现场（U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Greydon Furstenau 摄，Wikimedia Commons，Public domain） / Image: A flu vaccination clinic, by U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Greydon Furstenau, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
