Doctors outline factors for flu and COVID vaccination decisions

Dr. Jennifer Clair and Dr. Sonia Castillo outlined considerations for flu and COVID vaccination in the 2026-2027 season, addressing common questions about who should receive vaccines and which recommendations apply to different groups.

The Lawrence Journal-World reported that Clair is a family medicine physician with LMH Health Primary Care – West Campus and Castillo is a pulmonologist with Lawrence Pulmonary Specialists. Clair recommends that everyone aged 6 months and older receive a flu vaccine each year, except those with a medical reason to avoid it. She described such reasons as rare.

Her guidance also specifies a two-dose course, with doses four weeks apart, for children aged 6 months through 8 years who are receiving a flu vaccine for the first time. For older adults, Clair recommends a high-dose flu vaccine for people aged 65 and older.

The account presents that as an age-specific recommendation, alongside the annual vaccination guidance for the broader age group. It does not provide a separate schedule for when to receive the flu vaccine. Castillo described current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance as recommending COVID vaccination for all adults aged 18 and older.

She also outlined the scope of this season’s FDA-approved vaccines: they cover people aged 65 and older, as well as younger people with conditions that put them at increased risk. The distinction Castillo draws is that the CDC recommendation extends beyond the FDA-approved indication she described.

In her account, healthy adults under 65 fall within the CDC recommendation, although they are outside that FDA-approved indication. These are different descriptions of the recommendation and approval scope; the article does not give a separate COVID dose schedule.

The doctors’ guidance therefore distinguishes among age groups, health conditions and, for children receiving a first flu vaccine, vaccination history. The account does not set a date for vaccination or provide further detail on how individuals should choose between vaccine products.

Its recommendations are attributed to Clair and Castillo, with Castillo specifically identifying CDC guidance and the FDA-approved indication she described.