Flu and COVID vaccine reservations:

2025-2026 season

***For established patients only***

Instructions

  • Pick among two FLU vaccine options: injection or nasal. Injection normally recommended 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. Here’s how many doses of flu vaccine to schedule:

    • Schedule 2 doses for: children 6 mo through 8 yr who have had fewer than 2 prior flu shots ever in their life.

    • Schedule 1 dose for everyone else. This includes any child 9 years and up regardless of prior immunization status, as well as any child 6 mo - 8 yr with at least 2 prior flu vaccines.

  • COVID vaccine option: the Moderna vaccine updated for 2025-2026. Please see our COVID vaccine recommendations for info about this vaccine. If you would like to schedule the COVID vaccine for your child, here’s how many doses to schedule:

    • Schedule 2 doses for:

      • children 6 mo through 23 mo who have never had a COVID vaccine

      • children 6 mo and up who are moderately or severely immunocompromised

    • Schedule 1 dose for everyone else. This includes:

      • any child 2 yr and up who isn’t immunocompromised, regardless or prior immunization status.

      • children 6 mo through 23 mo who have previously had a COVID vaccine, and aren’t immunocompromised

  • 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.

Initial vaccination with a COVID vaccine is recommended for all unvaccinated children ages 6 months and up. Children already vaccinated in a previous year may also get the new booster if desired—the benefits likely outweigh the risks, though there is less certainty about how much benefit such ongoing annual boosters may provide among healthy, previously 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. Both vaccines typically cover the same strains of the flu virus (usually 3 or 4 strains, depending on the year). We use the 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 3 or 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 its vaccine information sheet.

Why is more than 1 dose needed for some children?

The reason most kids only need one dose is because they already have prior immunity that only needs a little boost. But anyone without prior immunity, such as younger, unvaccinated, or immunocompromised children, may need an initial dose first, followed 1 month later by a booster. Every year after that, only 1 dose is typically needed. 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.

Can my child also get other vaccines they’re due for during the Flu/COVID vaccination event?

These events are exclusively for kids who only need seasonal flu and/or COVID vaccines. If your child is also due for other vaccines, no problem: we can do their Flu and/or COVID along with the other vaccines they’re due for at either an upcoming well child check or, if they’re not due for a well check, an individual shot only appointment. Check “During appointment for something else” or “Individual appointment needed” on the form above and then schedule that appointment (if not already scheduled) at your convenience.

Want more information about the vaccines?

Check out these links: