Navajo Nation Vaccine Guidance & Schedule

The Navajo Department of Health and the U.S. Centers 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 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 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/Monoclonal Antibody

RSV vaccination is now recommended for:

• Adults:
• • Elders 75 years old and older.
  • Adults aged 50-74 years old with underlying conditions like diabetes on insulin, heart disease, kidney disease, lung disease, liver disease, severe obesity.
  • Adults 18 and over with weakened immune systems.
  • Pregnant women between 32-36 weeks to give protection to the baby.
  • o This is a one-time vaccine, so anyone who got it previously does not need it again (including pregnant women, who should only get this during one pregnancy). If you are unsure about vaccination history, you can receive the vaccine again or ask your doctor.
• RSV monoclonal antibody (different from RSV vaccine) is recommended for
• • Infants 0-8 months old in their first RSV season whose mothers did not get the RSV vaccine during pregnancy.
  • All Navajo children ages 8-19 months in their second RSV season

How serious is RSV?

• RSV most often causes mild cold-like symptoms, however it can cause severe disease requiring hospitalization among infants and elders.
• The RSV shot offers strong protection against serious RSV illness 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.