The times I believe I had flu, I felt perfectly fine and then felt just awful and terribly weak. I was able to start Tamiflu promptly and it really worked right away. My doc told me to start the Tamiflu even tho no confirming tests I had it. (Once it was New Year’s Eve & once I was on neighbor island and they didn’t gave urgent care clinics nearby.)
I heard today that Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine received FDA approval for ages 50 and older, instead of the original age range of 50-64. mFLUSIVA could now be an alternative to the high dose flu shot.
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Do you know when it will be available, especially for people 65+?
Considering the regular flu shot seems to be the only vaccine I can handle anymore without 1-2 weeks of side effects, I’ll probably stick with the old version for now. But good to have options.
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My doc generally wants me to get flu shot in Oct it will last entire season/year.
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Here are the flu vaccines available for 2026-2027:
| Manufacturer | Trade Name | Age range | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| AstraZeneca | FluMist (LAIV3) | 2-49 | Live attenuated nasal spray |
| GSK | Fluarix (IIV3) | 0.5+ | Inactivated, egg based |
| GSK | FluLaval (IIV3) | 0.5+ | Inactivated, egg based |
| Moderna | mFlusiva | 50+ | mRNA |
| Sanofi | Flublok (RIV3) | 9+ | Recombinant hemagglutinin, 3x antigen |
| Sanofi | Fluzone (IIV3) | 0.5+ | Inactivated, egg based |
| Sanofi | Fluzone High-Dose (HD-IIV3) | 65+ | Inactivated, egg based, 4x antigen |
| CSL Sequirus | Fluad (aIIV3) | 65+ | Inactivated, egg based, adjuvanted |
| CSL Sequirus | Flucelvax (ccIIV3) | 0.5+ | Inactivated, dog cell based |
In various trials and studies, mFlusiva, FluBlok, Fluzone High-Dose, and Fluad have been found to be more effective (typically by around 30%) against flu in older adults than the usual (IIV3) vaccines.
People with egg allergies can look for non-egg vaccines, which are readily available (Flucelvax is commonly found at Costco, and mFlusiva and Flublok are non-egg based options for older adults wanting the stronger vaccines).
The targeted flu strains for the 2026-2027 season:
Note that flu vaccines have been trivalent rather than quadrivalent since a few years ago, due to one of the targeted influenza B strains going extinct due to COVID-19 related measures (social distancing, masking, reduction of indoor activities, etc.) being effective against influenza.