Respiratory Virus Resources for Health Care Professionals
Page last updated 2/14/2025.
Health care professionals play an important role in ensuring patients have the best protection against COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). On this page:
COVID-19 and Influenza
- Everyone 6 months of age and older should receive the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine and seasonal influenza vaccine.
RSV
- All infants should be protected against severe RSV by one of
the following:
- Vaccination (Pfizer Abrysvo only) of pregnant people 32 through 36 weeks of gestation administered during September through January.
- Immunization of infants less than 8 months with nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody administered during October through March (earlier is better).
- Some children aged 8 through 19 months at increased risk for severe RSV disease should receive nirsevimab when entering their second RSV season.
- Everyone 75 years of age and older should receive RSV vaccination if they haven't been previously vaccinated.
- Adults 60 through 74 years of age with certain medical conditions or other risk factors that increase their risk for severe RSV disease should receive RSV vaccination if they haven't been previously vaccinated.
Co-administration of COVID-19, Flu, and RSV Vaccines
- COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccines may be co-administered (given at the same visit). Co-administration of these vaccines might be especially important when the patient has risk factors for severe respiratory illness (including but not limited to advanced age, cardiopulmonary disease, immunocompromising conditions, and residence in a long-term care facility) and there might not be an opportunity to vaccinate the patient with all recommended vaccines in the near future.
- To optimize protection for the fall and winter virus season, providers should consider offering the patient all recommended respiratory virus vaccines during their current visit. Patients should be aware that they may experience more side effects, like fever and fatigue, if multiple vaccines are given together; however, these side effects are generally mild or moderate and only last a day or two.
- If the provider is confident there will be additional opportunities to vaccinate the patient, and the patient prefers to receive these vaccines during different visits, there is no minimum wait period between these vaccines.
- The most important thing is that patients receive all recommended vaccines in a timely way to help protect them against these major respiratory diseases this fall and winter virus season.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Best Practices for Patient Care
- Clinical Guidance for COVID-19 Vaccination
- Influenza Information for Healthcare Professionals
- RSV Immunizations
Additional Resources:
Call the Epidemiology Unit at (619) 692-8499, or send an e-mail, for more information.