Navajo Nation Vaccine Schedule
The Navajo Department of Health and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends Navajo citizens to get your vaccines up to date for the fall season! This includes influenza (flu), COVID-19, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccines to protect yourself, your family, and your community. We especially want to preserve the future by protecting our infants, and preserve our culture by protecting our elders.
When we are vaccinated, it is less likely that we will get sick or make others sick. Flu, COVID-19, and RSV diseases are very contagious and spread most often between October and May. These illnesses may cause people to feel sick for several days, causing them to miss several days of work or school, or not feel well enough to do their usual daily activities. But, if you do get sick, vaccines can prevent illness or reduce the severity of the illness. The vaccines cannot cause the disease, but sometimes, they may make someone feel a little under the weather with mild side effects for a day or two, like a sore arm, tiredness, or headache. All three vaccines, flu, COVID-19, and RSV, are separate, but they can be given on the same day.
COVID-19 Vaccine:
The 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccination is recommended yearly for children ages 6 months to 18 years in collaboration with your healthcare provider. The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended once each year for healthy adults, but elders and people with weakened immune systems are recommended to receive additional doses. People can be vaccinated even if they received a COVID-19 vaccine before or had a COVID-19 infection. Getting yearly COVID-19 vaccines helps protect you from severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
Why do I need a dose each year?
- The 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine is made to match the COVID variants circulating in the country this year. Vaccine protection decreases over time, so it is important to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine. Being up to date on the COVID-19 vaccine also protects against Long COVID.
Influenza (Flu) Vaccine:
Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months of age and older. Everyone should get vaccinated every flu season
What is the flu like?
- The flu is much more severe and comes on more suddenly than a cold. Flu can cause body aches, chills, fever, tiredness, and may include other symptoms like cough, headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, and sometimes vomiting or diarrhea. Infants and young children, elders, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions or weakened immune systems are at higher risk of flu complications, including hospitalization.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine or Immunization:
RSV vaccination/immunization is now recommended for:
- Elders:
- Everyone 75 years old and older.
- Elders aged 60-74 years old with underlying conditions like diabetes on insulin, heart disease, kidney disease, lung disease, liver disease, severe obesity, or weakened immune system.
- This is a one-time vaccine, so elders who got it previously do not need it again. If you are unsure about vaccination history, you can receive the vaccine again or ask your doctor
- Protection for Infants and Toddlers, Including Pregnant Mothers:
- All pregnant women during weeks 32-36 of pregnancy to give protection to the baby. This is a one-time vaccine, so it would not be given in future pregnancies.
- Infants under 8 months old whose mothers did not get the RSV vaccine during pregnancy.
- All Navajo children aged 8-19 months, even if they or their mothers got the immunization or vaccine last season
How serious is RSV?
- Hospitalization for RSV is more common among Navajo infants and elders, though most often RSV causes mild cold-like symptoms. Getting the vaccine for adults or the immunization for infants offers strong protection against infection and hospitalization.
People with recent minor illnesses, such as a cold, may be vaccinated. People with recent moderate or severe illness, should wait until they recover before getting their fall vaccines. People who have had COVID recently can wait up to 3 months to get the COVID-19 vaccine. All individuals should talk with their doctor to understand their options regarding vaccinations.