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2. COVID-19 VACCINE   WHO NEEDS IT: It’s recommended for everyone 6 months and older, and especially for people 50 and older, who are considered to be at increased risk for complications

from a coronavirus infection. HOW OFTEN: Health officials haven’t set a schedule for COVID-19 vaccines, but it’s likely the shot will become an annual one for some people at least, much like

the flu vaccine. For now, the advice from health experts is to “stay up to date” on your vaccines and get one before the fall and winter virus season. Updated COVID-19 shots were recently

approved and are available in doctors’ offices and pharmacies throughout the country. Adults 65 and older should plan on getting a second dose of the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine in the spring

(six months after the first dose), the CDC said on Oct. 23. The updated recommendation "acknowledges the increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19 in older adults and those who

are immunocompromised, along with the currently available data on vaccine effectiveness and year-round circulation of COVID-19," health officials said in a statement.  WHAT YOU NEED: An

updated COVID-19 vaccine from either Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech or Novavax. WHY YOU NEED IT: COVID-19 has killed nearly 1.2 million Americans since it started circulating in the U.S. and has

hospitalized millions of others. It’s especially risky for adults 50 and older, who are more likely to suffer complications from an infection. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR IF: You’ve had a severe

allergic reaction to a medication or vaccine in the past. PARTING SHOT: Make it easy on yourself and get your new COVID-19 vaccine when you go in for your flu shot. Experts say there’s no

need to schedule a separate appointment. 3. RSV VACCINE WHO NEEDS IT: In recently updated guidance, the CDC says adults ages 75 and older should get the vaccine to protect against

respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as should people ages 60 to 74 who live in nursing homes or who have certain medical conditions that put them at increased risk for severe illness, like

heart and lung disease. HOW OFTEN: For now, you need to get it only once. However, the RSV vaccine is still pretty new, so recommendations could change. WHAT YOU NEED: Three vaccines have

been approved for older adults: Arexvy, from manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline, Abrysvo, from drugmaker Pfizer, and mRESVIA, from Moderna. WHY YOU NEED IT: RSV is often associated with children,

but it can be especially dangerous for older adults too. Each year, it causes 60,000 to 160,000 hospitalizations and 6,000 to 10,000 deaths among adults 65 and older, according to the CDC.

In clinical trials, the vaccines were found to significantly reduce the risk of serious symptoms from an infection.   TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR IF: You’re in the 60-74 age range and are unsure

whether your underlying health issues put you at greater risk for complications from an RSV infection. PARTING SHOT: The vaccine could be especially helpful when it comes to avoiding a

fall/winter “tripledemic” — a name used to describe the convergence of flu, COVID-19 and RSV. 4. PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE WHO NEEDS IT: Healthy adults 50 and older, or adults 19-49 with certain

risk factors (smoking or health problems such as chronic lung or heart disease, leukemia, lymphoma or alcoholism). HOW OFTEN: Adults who haven’t received a pneumococcal vaccine should opt

for either the PCV15, PCV20 or PCV21. If PCV15 is used, it should be followed by a dose of PPSV23 a year later. (If you’re immunocompromised, you may get it sooner.)  WHY YOU NEED IT: 

Before COVID-19 came along, pneumococcal disease, which can cause pneumonia, killed more people in the U.S. each year than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined. Young children and

those over 65 have the highest incidence of serious illness, and older adults are more likely to die from it. Experts estimate PCV13 (one of the pneumococcal vaccines available) prevented

more than 30,000 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease and 3,000 deaths in its first three years of use. PARTING SHOT: If you work around chronically ill people — say, in a hospital or

nursing home — you should get the vaccine, even if you’re healthy. 5. TDAP VACCINE (TETANUS, DIPHTHERIA, PERTUSSIS) AND/OR THE TD BOOSTER (TETANUS, DIPHTHERIA) WHO NEEDS IT: The Tdap vaccine

 came out in 2005, and along with protecting against tetanus and diphtheria, like the vaccine it replaced, it includes additional protection against whooping cough, also known as pertussis.

If you can’t remember ever getting this shot, you probably need it. Doing so, Katz says, can count for one of the Td boosters you’re supposed to get every 10 years. (You know the one … it’s

the shot you wonder if you’re current on after you step on a rusty nail during your vacation.) HOW OFTEN: Adults should receive a booster dose of either Tdap or Td (a different vaccine that

protects against tetanus and diphtheria but not pertussis) every 10 years, the CDC says, or after five years if you get a severe wound or burn.