Respiratory vaccines

The first and most important step to protect yourself against flu viruses is to get a flu vaccine. It's recommended for people over 6 months of age and older to help prevent you getting sick from the flu by about 50 percent. You can get a flu vaccine at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine.

Flu shot appointments are available at many of our clinic locations. If you are a current patient, you can schedule your appointment online using your Allina Health account. If you are new to Allina Health, call your clinic to schedule, or search for a location near you.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that all people 6 months of age or older get at least one dose of the 2023–2024 updated COVID-19 vaccines. COVID-19 vaccines can be given at the same time as other vaccines (like flu vaccine). You can also receive a COVID-19 vaccine if you recently received another vaccine.

• People ages 65 and older should receive one additional dose of any updated (2023-2024 formula) COVID-19 vaccine (i.e Moderna, Novavax, Pfizer-BioNTech) at least four months following the previous dose of updated (2023-2024 Formula) COVID-19 vaccine.
• People 5 years of age and older, regardless of previous vaccination, are eligible to receive a single dose of an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least two months since the last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine.
• People 6 months through 4 years need multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccines to be up to date, including at least one dose of updated COVID-19 vaccine.

For more information, visit MDH’s About COVID-19 Vaccine website.

Currently we are offering only the Moderna vaccine.

Search vaccines.gov to find a location near you. If you do not find a convenient location, check back later, or contact your health care provider or local health department. If you have insurance, check with your selected site or your insurer to confirm that the site is in network. Learn more about the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.

Infants and older adults are more likely to develop severe RSV and need hospitalization. There are now options to help protect infants and older adults from RSV.

For older adults, vaccines are available to protect those 60 + years of age with higher risk from severe RSV. If you have Medicare insurance, the vaccine may not be covered if administered at your clinic; however, it may only be covered if administered at a pharmacy. So, the best place to get the vaccine is at your pharmacy. No prescription is needed, and the pharmacist can help you to decide if the RSV vaccine is right for you.

For infants, we have monoclonal antibodies that provide protection from RSV as well as vaccines that can be given to a pregnant individual to protect the infant once born. For infants and pregnant individuals, it's best to discuss which option is right for you at your next provider appointment. Currently, there is a nationwide shortage of Beyfortus, the prescription medicine used to help prevent RSV.  

Since the RSV preventatives are new, we recommend checking with your insurance about coverage. If you prefer to receive the vaccine at an Allina Health clinic, or if you want to talk with your provider about whether the RSV vaccine is right for you, make an appointment or call your clinic to schedule.

Go to the CDC to learn more about RSV and RSV prevention.