The FDA has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2025-2026 season. The new guidelines have created some confusion. Below, we explain how to get a COVID vaccine.

Who can get the new COVID vaccine without a prescription?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this year’s COVID vaccine for:

• All adults age 65 and older.
• Individuals 6 months and older with at least one underlying risk factor, including:
  • Cancer.
  • Diabetes.
  • Heart conditions.
  • Immunocompromised condition.
  • Mental health conditions.
  • Obesity.
  • Pregnancy.
  • Smoking.
  • And other conditions listed here.

At its September 19 meeting, the CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended this year’s COVID vaccine for anyone 6 months and older after consulting with a health care provider, such as a physician, nurse or pharmacist.

Who should get the new COVID vaccine?

We recommend a 2025-2026 COVID vaccine for all children 6 months and older, and most adults ages 18 and older.

We strongly recommend that those with risk factors for severe COVID, including those age 65 and older, be vaccinated for COVID. We also continue to strongly recommend health care workers be vaccinated to protect themselves and decrease the risk of spreading illness to their patients and other health care workers.

COVID vaccines for children

COVID vaccines are safe and effective. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends them for all children ages 6 months and up, especially for:

• Children 6 to 23 months due to a high rate of hospitalization and severe illness.
• Any child with a chronic illness, including asthma and obesity.
• Any child that lives with an individual at high risk of severe illness from COVID, including pregnant mothers.

Recommendations depend on the child’s age:

• For children under 24 months: It is recommended to complete the Moderna COVID vaccine series (2 doses at least 4 weeks apart).
• For children 24 months to under age 5: It is recommended to get 1 dose of the 2025-2026 Moderna COVID vaccine.
• For children ages 5 and up: It is recommended to get one dose of the 2025-2026 Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccine.
• For children 12 and up: Novavax is also an option in addition to one dose of 2025-2026 Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccine.

We recommend children receive their COVID vaccine with their pediatrician or family physician. Some pharmacies will be offering the COVID vaccine to children, so ask your pediatrician or family physician for guidance on how to get your child vaccinated against COVID.

COVID vaccines for pregnant patients

“COVID vaccination during pregnancy is not linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age infants, or congenital anomalies—even when given in the first trimester,” says maternal-fetal medicine and high-risk OB-GYN Rebecca Rimsza, MD.

Pregnant patients with COVID face higher risks of severe illness and death compared with nonpregnant peers. COVID vaccination during pregnancy provides passive immunity to infants, offering protection in the first months of life when they are most vulnerable and not yet vaccine-eligible.  

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) strongly recommend COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant and recently pregnant individuals.

Is the 2025-2026 COVID vaccine safe?

“COVID vaccines are both safe and effective,” says infectious diseases expert Kelly Cawcutt, MD. “We continue to recommend others consider vaccination to decrease risk of severe illness, risk to transmitting infection to others, and to minimize days missed of work and school.”

Clinicians regularly recommend care that extends beyond guidelines or FDA indications. Because the vaccines are safe and effective, we recommend them more broadly than some guidelines suggest.  

Is the new COVID vaccine free?

Patients should review their medical insurance to understand if coverage of the vaccine has changed.