The quick guide to fall vaccines and when you should get them
The quick guide to fall vaccines and when you should get them
秋季疫苗快速指南：你应该何时接种？
Labor Day is in the rearview mirror, kids are back to school, and a squall of pumpkin spice is upon us. It’s that time again to prepare for the equally inevitable respiratory virus season with annual vaccines. 劳动节已经过去，孩子们重返校园，南瓜香料的气息也随之而来。又到了准备迎接不可避免的呼吸道病毒季节，并接种年度疫苗的时候了。
With fervent anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the country’s top health official, it might seem like the rollout of this year’s shots could be a disaster. For instance, one of Kennedy’s first actions as health secretary last year was to obliterate an ad campaign for flu shots amid a particularly deadly flu season. 由于狂热的反疫苗活动家小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪（Robert F. Kennedy Jr.）担任国家最高卫生官员，今年的疫苗推广工作看起来可能会是一场灾难。例如，肯尼迪去年担任卫生部长后的首批行动之一，就是在流感高发且致命的季节里，取消了流感疫苗的广告宣传活动。
As we head into this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee—which normally sets vaccination recommendations and insurance coverage for the shots—is nonfunctioning. A federal judge ruled in March that the anti-vaccine allies Kennedy installed on the panel were illegally appointed and unfit to serve. All their changes to vaccine policy have been temporarily voided. And meanwhile, Kennedy spent last week trying to obscure the number of babies who died from measles so far this year (it was two, including a newborn). 随着秋季的到来，美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）的疫苗咨询委员会——通常负责制定疫苗接种建议和保险覆盖范围——目前处于停摆状态。一名联邦法官在三月份裁定，肯尼迪安插在该委员会中的反疫苗盟友属于非法任命，且不具备任职资格。他们对疫苗政策所做的所有修改已被暂时作废。与此同时，肯尼迪上周还试图掩盖今年以来死于麻疹的婴儿人数（实际为两名，其中包括一名新生儿）。
Big picture
总体情况
Despite all of that, the fall vaccine effort is looking like it will likely be somewhat smooth, potentially unremarkable even. The Food and Drug Administration has approved updated flu and COVID-19 shots for this season. Those shots have already begun arriving at pharmacies—in case your pharmacy hasn’t already sent you multiple texts and reminders. 尽管如此，秋季的疫苗接种工作看起来可能会相对顺利，甚至可能平淡无奇。美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）已经批准了本季更新的流感和新冠疫苗。这些疫苗已经开始运抵药店——如果你的药店还没给你发送多条短信和提醒的话。
While there are still some snags for access, it seems like it will be a lot like last year’s fall vaccine rollout. Major insurance plans have agreed to continue covering vaccines previously recommended by the CDC’s advisory panel, including the seasonal ones, at no charge. That agreement runs at least through the end of 2027. 虽然在获取疫苗方面仍存在一些障碍，但看起来这与去年的秋季疫苗推广非常相似。各大保险计划已同意继续免费承保此前由CDC咨询委员会推荐的疫苗，包括季节性疫苗。该协议至少持续到2027年底。
State and local health officials are also expecting a generally normal rollout and are keeping an eye toward improving vaccination rates. “As we head into another respiratory virus season, state and territorial health agencies are doing what we do best: preparing early, watching the data closely, and working with our healthcare and community partners to keep people safe,” Manisha Juthani, president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, said. “Vaccination remains one of the most effective tools we have to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death from flu, COVID-19, and RSV.” 州和地方卫生官员也预计推广工作将基本正常，并致力于提高疫苗接种率。州和领地卫生官员协会（ASTHO）主席兼康涅狄格州公共卫生部专员Manisha Juthani表示：“随着我们进入又一个呼吸道病毒季节，州和领地卫生机构正在做我们最擅长的事情：尽早准备、密切关注数据，并与我们的医疗和社区合作伙伴共同努力，保障民众安全。疫苗接种仍然是我们预防流感、新冠和呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV）引起的严重疾病、住院和死亡的最有效工具之一。”
As we saw last year, leading medical organizations have stepped in to fill the void of the CDC’s advisory committee and produced their own evidence-based vaccine recommendations, complete with a transparent scientific review explaining the basis for the recommendations. The 2026–27 respiratory virus immunization recommendations and the evidence base behind them were released last week in a collaborative effort by the American Medical Association, the Vaccine Integrity Project, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Overall, little has changed in the evidence-based recommendations from last year. 正如我们去年所见，领先的医疗组织已经介入，填补了CDC咨询委员会留下的空白，并制定了基于证据的疫苗建议，同时提供了透明的科学审查来解释这些建议的依据。美国医学会、疫苗诚信项目、美国儿科学会（AAP）、美国家庭医师学会（AAFP）、美国妇产科医师学会（ACOG）和美国传染病学会（IDSA）于上周联合发布了2026-27年度呼吸道病毒免疫建议及其背后的证据基础。总体而言，这些基于证据的建议与去年相比变化不大。
For flu
关于流感
This year’s trivalent flu vaccines are recommended by the medical groups for all children (6 months and up) and all adults. There’s also a nasal spray for people ages 2 to 49, but it’s not recommended for people who are pregnant or immunocompromised. People age 65 and older are recommended to get a high-dose vaccine. 医疗团体建议所有儿童（6个月及以上）和所有成年人接种今年的三价流感疫苗。此外，还有一种针对2至49岁人群的鼻喷雾剂，但不建议孕妇或免疫功能低下者使用。建议65岁及以上的老年人接种高剂量疫苗。
The biggest uncertainty this season will likely be with the new mRNA flu vaccine, approved for adults 50 and up in early August. The vaccine, Moderna’s mFlusiva, was found to be 27 percent more effective than a standard shot in trials but may have more mild side effects, like fatigue and injection-site soreness. It’s unclear how available this vaccine will be this year, given its late approval in the year. It’s also unclear what insurance coverage will look like, given its lack of a previous recommendation from the CDC’s advisory committee. Medicare is expected to cover mFlusiva, and some state Medicaid programs may cover it as well. But other federal programs, like Vaccines for Adults, may not cover it, and commercial insurance coverage is also uncertain. 本季最大的不确定性可能在于8月初获批用于50岁及以上成年人的新型mRNA流感疫苗。Moderna公司的mFlusiva疫苗在试验中被发现比标准疫苗有效率高出27%，但可能会有更多的轻微副作用，如疲劳和注射部位酸痛。鉴于该疫苗获批时间较晚，目前尚不清楚其今年的供应情况。此外，由于缺乏CDC咨询委员会此前的推荐，其保险覆盖范围也不明确。预计联邦医疗保险（Medicare）将覆盖mFlusiva，部分州医疗补助计划（Medicaid）也可能覆盖。但其他联邦项目（如“成人疫苗计划”）可能不予覆盖，商业保险的覆盖情况也存在不确定性。
The best time to get a flu vaccine is generally the span between late September and the end of October. This typically ensures the vaccine’s protection is at its strongest in the window when influenza typically peaks, between December and February. After a flu shot, it takes about two weeks for protection to kick in, but then it wanes through the flu season, which can sometimes stretch out to May. 接种流感疫苗的最佳时间通常在9月下旬至10月底之间。这通常能确保疫苗的保护力在流感高峰期（12月至2月）达到最强。接种流感疫苗后，大约需要两周时间才能产生保护作用，但随后保护力会随着流感季节的推移而减弱，流感季节有时会持续到5月。
For COVID-19
关于新冠
Under the Trump administration and Kennedy, the FDA again approved COVID-19 vaccines for limited groups: those age 65 and older, and those age 6 months to 64 years who have a condition that puts them at higher risk. The list of qualifying conditions is long and varied, ranging from cancers to physical inactivity. Many Americans qualify. 在特朗普政府和肯尼迪的领导下，FDA再次批准了针对特定人群的新冠疫苗：65岁及以上的老年人，以及6个月至64岁之间患有高风险疾病的人群。符合条件的疾病清单很长且种类繁多，从癌症到缺乏运动均在列。许多美国人都符合条件。