RSV vaccines are recommended at three distinct life stages: for adults 75 and older (universally), for adults 60 to 74 with certain risk factors, and during pregnancy between 32 and 36 weeks to protect newborns. Infants can also receive a protective antibody injection in their first RSV season. Here’s how each age group breaks down.
Adults 75 and Older
If you’re 75 or older and haven’t already received an RSV vaccine, the CDC recommends getting one. This is a universal recommendation, meaning it applies regardless of your health status. Three vaccines are approved for this age group: GSK’s Arexvy, Pfizer’s Abrysvo, and Moderna’s mRESVIA. All three were initially approved by the FDA for adults 60 and older, but the strongest recommendation now targets those 75 and up because RSV hospitalizations and deaths rise sharply in this age range.
The vaccine is a single dose rather than an annual shot. For the best protection, timing matters: vaccination in late summer or early fall (August through October in most of the continental U.S.) lines up with the start of RSV season and gives your immune system time to respond before the virus peaks in winter.
Adults 60 to 74 With Risk Factors
If you’re between 60 and 74, the RSV vaccine isn’t automatically recommended for everyone. Instead, it’s recommended through shared clinical decision-making, which means you and your doctor decide together based on your personal risk. You’re more likely to benefit if you have chronic lung disease, heart disease, a weakened immune system, diabetes, or other conditions that make respiratory infections more dangerous. Living in a nursing home or long-term care facility also raises your risk significantly.
If you’re in this age range and generally healthy, the vaccine may still be an option, but the benefit is smaller. The same timing advice applies: get vaccinated before RSV season starts, ideally between August and October.
During Pregnancy (32 to 36 Weeks)
Pregnant women can receive a single dose of Pfizer’s Abrysvo between 32 weeks and 36 weeks, 6 days of gestation. This is the only RSV vaccine approved for use during pregnancy. The goal isn’t to protect the pregnant person directly. It’s to pass protective antibodies to the baby before birth, giving the newborn a head start against RSV during the most vulnerable first months of life.
Timing within the pregnancy window matters. Getting vaccinated too early won’t transfer enough antibodies by birth, and getting it too late may not leave enough time for the immune response to develop fully. The seasonal timing also plays a role: this vaccine provides the most benefit when the baby will be born during or just before RSV season (roughly October through March).
Protection for Infants and Young Children
Babies don’t receive a traditional RSV vaccine. Instead, they can get an injection of RSV antibodies (a product called nirsevimab) that provides immediate, temporary protection. This is recommended for all infants entering their first RSV season.
The timing depends on when the baby is born. Infants born during RSV season (October 1 through March 31) should receive the antibody within their first week of life, ideally before leaving the hospital. Babies born outside that window, between April and September, should get the injection in October or November, just before RSV season begins.
Some children at higher risk for severe RSV, such as those with chronic lung disease from premature birth or certain heart conditions, may qualify for a second dose heading into their second RSV season. For these children, the optimal timing is again October or November.
Who Does Not Need an RSV Vaccine
Healthy adults under 60 are not currently recommended to get an RSV vaccine. While RSV infects people of all ages, it typically causes mild cold-like symptoms in younger, healthy adults. The vaccines were developed and approved specifically for the populations where RSV causes the most serious illness: older adults, newborns, and infants.
Children and teenagers also don’t receive an RSV vaccine. The antibody injection for infants covers the highest-risk window in early life, and by age 2, most children have already been infected with RSV at least once and built some natural immunity. RSV can still cause illness in older children, but severe outcomes are rare outside of infancy.
One Dose vs. Annual Shots
Unlike the flu vaccine, the RSV vaccine for adults is currently a one-time dose. You don’t need to get it every year. Research is ongoing into how long protection lasts and whether a booster might eventually be recommended, but for now, a single vaccination is the standard. If you’ve already received one dose in a previous year, you do not need another.
The infant antibody injection works differently. Because it provides borrowed protection rather than training the immune system, it wears off after several months. That’s why the timing is calibrated to cover the RSV season window rather than provide year-round protection.