Seasonal respiratory vaccines
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Three viruses are a major cause of respiratory illness in the fall and winter seasons: influenza (flu), COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). During the fall and winter months, these viruses become more common, and can all cause mild to severe illness, including hospitalization and death.
Getting vaccinated is the best defense against seasonal viral illnesses, and is particularly important for people who are at higher risk of serious complications, including infants and very young children, older adults, and people whose immune systems aren’t working as well as they should. This could be from a health condition (autoimmune disease, cancer, or pregnancy) or the medications they are on to treat another health condition (immunosuppressive medications and chemotherapy). Talk to your health care provider about staying up to date on your immunizations.
2025–2026 Colorado respiratory vaccine recommendations
Flu (Influenza)
Children
All 6 months and older.
Pregnancy
All who are pregnant, planning pregnancy, postpartum, or lactating.
Adults
All adults.
RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)
Children
All infants younger than 8 months, from October through March (protect infants with either a prenatal RSV vaccine or an infant dose of a monoclonal antibody).
All children 8–19 months with risk factors, from October through March (only nirsevimab is recommended for children 8-19 months with risk factors).
Pregnancy
All who are 32–36 weeks pregnant between September and January, who have not received RSV vaccine before (protect infants with either a prenatal RSV vaccine or an infant dose of a monoclonal antibody).
Adults
All 75 years and older who have not received RSV vaccine before.
All 50–74 years with risk factors who have not received RSV vaccine before.
COVID-19
Children
All 6–23 months.
All 2–18 years with risk factors or never vaccinated against COVID-19.
All who have household contacts with risk factors.
All whose parent or guardian desires their protection.
(COVID-19 vaccine is available for Coloradans 6 months and older.)
Pregnancy
All who are pregnant, planning pregnancy, postpartum, or lactating.
Adults
All 65 years and older.
All younger than 65 years with risk factors or never vaccinated against COVID-19.
All who have household contacts with risk factors.
All who desire protection.
What your doctor wants you to know
Our stance on vaccines
Colorado remains committed to protecting the health of our residents by following scientific evidence and public health best practices. Regardless of developments at the federal level, our vaccine recommendations and disease-prevention strategies are grounded in data, transparency, and expert guidance to ensure Coloradans continue to have access to safe and effective prevention tools.