Flu season approaches with more vaccine choices this year. Here’s what CT experts are saying

Hartford Courant – Friday, October 2, 2026
By Stephen Underwood

Autumn marks the beginning of the annual flu season, when more people begin to congregate indoors and viruses spread faster. But this year, new vaccine options are available, and doctors are urging nearly everyone to get vaccinated.

While flu levels currently remain low across Connecticut, health care officials said they are expecting numbers to spike during the holiday season as more people congregate indoors. The beginning of school is also a big component for viral spread, as more people congregate in confined spaces.

Influenza, or more commonly known as the flu, is a potentially serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Everyone 6 months and older in the United States, with rare exception, should get a flu vaccine every season, CDC officials said. Flu vaccinations have been shown to have many benefits, including reducing the risk of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and even the risk of flu-related death.

“We don’t know what the big strains will be yet until they show up and we can confirm a match,” said Dr. Ulysses Wu, chief epidemiologist with Hartford HealthCare. “But I would suspect it’s going to be similar to last year. There are two ways you can view the flu season, the flu itself will circulate probably very similar to last year. However, the human response to it may make it a busier season if people are not getting the vaccines.”

According to the CDC, all flu vaccines for the upcoming season will be trivalent. This means they are formulated to protect against three main seasonal influenza Type A and B viruses: an A(H1N1) virus, an A(H3N2) virus, and a B/Victoria lineage virus.

“The purpose of the vaccine is not necessarily to protect you from getting the flu, but to keep you out of the hospital and keep you from getting really sick,” Wu said. “Even last year when we saw there was a little mismatch of strains, it still modulates your immune response that you’re still able to put up a fight. If you look back to COVID, we had not seen anything like that before, so our immune systems were not able to fight it as well. But now with vaccinations and with people getting COVID, now our immune system is ready. That’s similar to what the flu vaccine will do. Its main job is to keep you out of the hospital and from dying.”

Wu said that peak flu months usually occur around end of January, February and March. But he noted that each year peak season has been arriving earlier Last year, according to Wu, flu season ran through April before cases started to dwindle by May.

Some meteorologists are predicting a more mild early winter season due to the effects of El Nino, which could have an impact on this year’s flu season, Wu said. If the weather is more mild, people may congregate less indoors. However, the holiday season tends to see a spike each year as people congregate for parties, celebrations and gatherings.

“Everyone should get the flu vaccine, it’s safe and effective,” Wu said. “Sometimes I hear people say ‘I got the flu from the flu shot’ which is absolutely impossible. What they are experiencing is an immune response from the shot. That is actually a good thing because it means the immune system is working, which is demonstrating the effectiveness of the vaccine.”

Wu said that people should begin getting the flu shot anytime after Halloween to ensure long-lasting immunity that will last through the end of flu season in April. Immunity from flu vaccination is generally thought to last for around four to six months before losing some efficacy, according to the CDC. While some may want to get the flu vaccine earlier, Wu said Nov. 1 is generally considered when people should begin getting vaccinated.

This year, Americans have more options available for flu vaccines than in prior years. A new option this season is mFLUSIVA, the first FDA-approved mRNA flu vaccine injection, according to Wu. It is approved for adults 50 to 64 years old and received accelerated approval for adults 65 and older. It is the first FDA-approved mRNA-based influenza vaccine injection.

Unlike traditional egg-based or cell-based vaccines that use inactive or weakened virus particles, mFLUSIVA delivers genetic instructions telling cells to temporarily produce harmless copies of proteins, which the immune system then begins building targeted antibodies for, according to the CDC.

Because mRNA technology bypasses the slow process of growing viruses in eggs, mRNA manufacturing allows for later influenza strain selection and fast production, unlike traditional vaccines. The hope is that the mRNA vaccine can target emerging strains quicker, according to the CDC.

FluMist is also another option, which instead of injection form, is a live influenza vaccine nasal spray for people ages 2 to 49 years old and contains egg proteins. It may not be recommended during pregnancy or for people who are immunocompromised or have certain medical conditions. FluMist uses a live, but weakened, virus, the CDC said. The nasal spray cannot replicate or cause full-blown influenza in healthy people, but a mild immune response is common.

“All of the flu vaccines are safe and effective,” Wu said. “It really just depends on the method of delivery you choose. The new mRNA vaccine has shown very good promise with bolstering immune response. That vaccine is recommended for those over 50 years old. The flu nasal spray is usually for children, since it does not require injection, but kids with asthma or anyone who is immune-compromised should not get that one, as it is a weakened but live virus. If anyone has questions about which one to get, they should talk with their doctor.”

During last year’s influenza season, the Connecticut Department of Public Health reported a year-end total of 190 flu-associated deaths for the season, according to state health data. In addition, there were 41,000 reported cases, with nearly 3,700 hospitalizations. The vast majority of hospitalizations and deaths occurred among the elderly. Wu said that young people should also get vaccinated, as it can help reduce the spread to more vulnerable populations.

“The main point is that vaccines work and they are safe,” Wu said. “Each year, tens of thousands of people die from the flu. It is a deadly virus for some. The good news is many deaths are preventable because of vaccines. We recommend nearly everyone, except those with severe allergic reactions to the vaccine, to get vaccinated. Vaccines not only can save your life, but they can save someone you love as well.”

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