Flu and COVID vaccine reservations:

2023-2024 season

***For established patients only***

Instructions

• Pick among two FLU vaccine options: injection or nasal. CDC typically recommends injection unless you have a preference otherwise, but both are good options (see the FAQ below). If supply is limited, some might not get their first choice, but most of you will if you sign up early enough. Most children only need one dose, but infants and children < 9y without at least 2 prior doses need two doses 4 weeks apart.

• COVID vaccine option: the Moderna vaccine updated for 2023-2024, targets recent omicron variants. A primary series is recommended for all unvaccinated children (6 months and up). If your child already completed a primary series with a previous vaccine, they may get the new booster if desired. Please note that while this is also recommended by the CDC, there is less consensus about the benefits of a booster dose for healthy, vaccinated children—see our COVID vaccine info page for more info. Dose schedule:

  • Children who never completed an initial series:

    • Age 6 months through 4 years: 2 doses separated by 4-8 weeks. If applicable, any prior Moderna dose(s) can count towards the first dose, so you’d only need one more. If 1 prior dose, schedule 4+ weeks after. If two prior doses, schedule 8+ weeks after last dose.

    • Age 5+ years: 1 dose. Timing if applicable: if history of 1 prior dose, then ≥ 4 weeks after. If two prior doses, then ≥ 8 weeks after last dose.

  • Children who completed a series with any older version: 1 dose, at least 3-6 months after last booster or infection.

• How to reserve and schedule: whether you plan to receive these at a well check, vaccine event, or other time, please complete the brief form below. This helps us allocate doses and schedule efficiently. For vaccine event, indicate your available dates; we will assign specific times based on a first come first served basis. Monitor your email closely for your assigned appointment time. We receive hundreds of replies, so it may take us up to a week or so to receive and reply to everyone’s requests.

• Ideal timing for FLU shots: October through early December. Our vaccine events are arranged during this timeframe; any of them would be fine.

  • Babies turning 6 months old between now through March: as soon as they turn 6 months. Depending on the flu season, it may not be worth it to start past mid/late March because they need 2 doses 4 weeks apart.

• Ideal timing for COVID shots: for unvaccinated children ages 6 months and up, start or continue your series right away. For those who already completed a primary series, see our COVID vaccine info page for more details.

Signup Form

Multiple children? Repeat the form/refresh this page for each subsequent child, using the same parent’s email so we can connect them together.

Frequently asked questions

Is the flu and/or covid vaccine recommended for my child?

Annual flu vaccination is recommended for all children ages 6 months and up. If you would like more information about the risks and benefits of the flu vaccine, we have a more in depth discussion on our flu vaccine information page.

A primary series of COVID vaccine is also recommended for all unvaccinated children ages 6 months and up. If your child already completed a primary series with a previous vaccine, they may get the new booster if desired. Please note that while this is also recommended by the CDC, there is less consensus about the benefits of a booster dose for healthy, vaccinated children—see our COVID vaccine info page for more info.

For infants less than 6 months old, those around them (parents, caregivers) should be fully up to date on flu and COVID vaccines to protect the infant until they are old enough to get their own vaccine. If they will turn 6 months before March please sign up for their doses now so we can be sure to reserve some for you.

What’s the difference between the nasal flu and the injection?

Injection/shot - this is just like most childhood vaccines, using an inactivated virus (meaning not live). It is generally well tolerated. The shot may have slightly fewer systemic side effects (eg fever/malaise) compared to the nasal, and more local side effects (pain/irritation of injection site). But it can have some short lived systemic effects. It is appropriate for all ages above 6 months old. We use the quadrivalent (4 strain), preservative-free option at our clinic.

Nasal Spray (FluMist). The nasal flu vaccine is a live virus vaccine administered via a quick spray in the nostrils. It does not hurt, so many kids may prefer this option over the shot. It is also well tolerated. Live viruses can have more general side effects (e.g. nausea/malaise), but less local side effects because there is no shot. Like the injection, it is preservative free and offers protection for the same 4 strains. In general it’s felt to be about as effective as the shot, though relative effectiveness of both can vary year to year. The most important thing is for as much of our community as possible to have coverage in general so the virus isn’t able to spread as rapidly, which keeps us all safe. To learn more, see this webpage.

How many doses of flu vaccine does my child need this year?

For children less than 9 years old, immunity doesn't built up until they've had at least 2 flu vaccines at some point. So if they haven't yet had those first two, they need two this year to jump-start the engine, so to speak. Every year after that, or for any child aged 9 years and older, only 1 dose is needed. Here's a simple guide on what your child needs this year:

Children 9 years and older

• Only 1 dose.

Children aged 6 months through 8 years

• If your child has had at least two doses of flu vaccine (cumulatively) at some point, they only need 1 this year.

• If they've never before had the flu vaccine, or only had 1 flu vaccine (cumulatively) since birth, they'll need 2 this year.

If you're not sure what they've had or need, just let us know and we can help.

How many doses of COVID vaccine does my child need this year?

As noted above, the dose schedule is as follows:

• Children who never completed an initial series:

  • Age 6 months through 4 years: 2 doses separated by 4-8 weeks. If applicable, any prior Moderna dose(s) can count towards the first dose, so you’d only need one more. If 1 prior dose, schedule 4+ weeks after. If two prior doses, schedule 8+ weeks after last dose.

  • Age 5+ years: 1 dose. Timing if applicable: if history of 1 prior dose, then ≥ 4 weeks after. If two prior doses, then ≥ 8 weeks after last dose.

• Children who completed a series with any older version: 1 dose, at least 3-6 months after last booster or infection.

If you're not sure what they've had or need, just let us know and we can help.

When can we get the vaccine?

• During a well check or visit for something else: If your child has an appointment needed for something else before the end of the year, it's most convenient to do vaccines during that appointment if we have stock available. Simply note this in the comments section on your form, and we'll try to reserve a dose for your visit if the timing works out.

• Vaccine Events: We block a few hours on our calendar and have families come for brief appointments just to get the vaccine. This makes things easy on our scheduling system for large numbers of patients all needing a new or seasonal vaccine at the same time.

• Individual Vaccine-only appointments: If our days/times for vaccine events don’t work for you, we can do individual/private appointments as long as there aren’t too many people requesting this.

Want more information about the flu vaccine?

Check out our flu vaccine information page and/or the CDC's info page about the flu vaccine for children.