By Michelle Andrews, KFF Health News

For people whose autumn agenda includes getting vaccinated against respiratory diseases — COVID, flu, and, for some, RSV — this year may be surprisingly routine.

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Following several confusing months this summer when federal officials announced and then retreated from changes to COVID vaccine recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Oct. 6 announced updated fall immunization schedules that are not that different from last year’s. That should clear the way for most people who want shots this fall to get them, public health experts say.

“From a patient’s experience, there shouldn’t be anything different from what they’ve experienced in the past, except maybe they’ll get a little more information from the pharmacist,” said Hannah Fish, senior director of strategic initiatives at the National Community Pharmacists Association.

Here’s what you need to know:

COVID vaccine

This fall, the COVID vaccine is recommended for everyone 6 months or older, with one caveat. People need to have a conversation with their provider first, a model called “shared clinical decision-making.” Providers can be doctors, pharmacists, or the health professionals giving the shots. For people younger than 65, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices emphasized that vaccination is generally more beneficial for those who are at higher risk for severe COVID.

Although the shots are recommended for the same age range as last year, there are a few possible wrinkles. Even though the CDC’s approval is broad and means that health plans have to cover the shot without charging consumers for it, some providers may balk at giving the vaccine to people under 65 unless they have an underlying condition that puts them at risk for severe COVID if they get infected. That’s what the Food and Drug Administration’s label for the COVID vaccine advises.

“It’s a nuance that could occur in an interaction between a provider and a patient,” said Jen Kates, a senior vice president and the director of global and public health policy at KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.

However, if a provider refused to administer the shot to a healthy person because doing so would be “off-label,” another provider would probably be willing to give someone the jab, experts said.

“They could go to a different pharmacy,” Kates said.

Many states have stepped in to ensure that people can get vaccines if they want them, according to a KFF analysis. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have adopted recommendations that are broader than those of the federal government, Kates said.

However, the percentage of people opting to get the COVID vaccine continues to drop. At the end of April, 23% of adults said they had received the current vaccine, according to the CDC.

With uptake so low, fewer pharmacies and doctors may choose to stock the shot this year, said Jeff Levin-Scherz, a primary care doctor who is the population health leader for the management consultancy WTW and an assistant professor at Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health.

Large chains, including CVS and Walgreens, say they have enough supply available to meet demand.

The additional hoops people might have to go through — such as having to find a different pharmacy or physician — could have an impact on uptake of the COVID shot, though.

“To get more people to get vaccines, the key is making vaccination really easy and to take steps out,” Levin-Scherz said.

Influenza vaccine

More people seek out the flu vaccine than the COVID vaccine, but even so, only 47% of adults got a shot last flu season.

The CDC recommends that virtually everyone 6 months or older get a flu shot annually. This year is no different. The shots should be widely available at pharmacies and physician offices, and health plans will cover the shots without charging people for them.

The federal Department of Health and Human Services announced in July that flu vaccines must not contain thimerosal, a preservative that prevents bacterial growth in vaccines. There is no evidence that the mercury-based additive, which has been used for decades, is harmful, according to vaccine researchers. Last year, the CDC estimated that only 6% of flu vaccines use thimerosal as a preservative.

RSV vaccine

This vaccine protects against respiratory syncytial virus, a highly contagious seasonal virus that infects the lungs and respiratory tract. Although symptoms are typically mild, RSV can lead to serious lung infections, particularly in older people.

A vaccine was approved in 2023. The CDC recommends it for everyone 75 or older and for people 50 to 74 who have medical conditions that put them at risk for severe disease.

People who meet the criteria should be able to get the RSV vaccine at their local pharmacy, Fish said.

The RSV vaccine is not an annual vaccine. If you’ve already received it, you don’t need to get it again, according to current guidelines.

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has conducted a successful test of a new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday, declaring that the new weapon can’t be intercepted.

Putin’s statement, which comes three days after he praised a successful test of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile, appears to be another message to U.S. President Donald Trump that Russia is standing firm in its maximalist demands on Ukraine.

Speaking at a meeting with soldiers wounded in Ukraine, Putin said the Poseidon drone was tested while running on nuclear power for the first time Tuesday, describing it as a “huge success.” Poseidon is unmatched in speed and depth, he said, and “there is no way to intercept it.”

He said the nuclear reactor that powers Poseidon is “100 times smaller” than those on submarines, and the power of its nuclear warhead is “significantly higher than that of our prospective Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile.”

Putin first mentioned the underwater nuclear-powered drone in his 2018 state-of-the-nation address along with other prospective weapons. Russian media reported that Poseidon was designed to explode near coastlines and unleash a powerful radioactive tsunami.

Putin said that during Tuesday’s test, Poseidon traveled on nuclear power for the first time. He didn’t say where the trials were conducted or give any other details.

He also revealed new details about the Burevestnik cruise missile, saying its nuclear reactor is “1,000 times smaller” than one on a submarine.

On Sunday, Russia’s chief military officer, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, reported to Putin that an Oct. 21 test of Burevestnik was a complete success.

The missile covered 14,000 kilometers (8,680 miles) during a 15-hour flight using nuclear fuel and conducted maneuvers “demonstrating its high capabilities in evading missile and air defense systems,” Gerasimov said.

Putin has brandished Russia’s nuclear might repeatedly since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, declaring that Moscow was prepared to use “all means” to protect its security interests. He again turned to nuclear messaging since Trump has put a planned Budapest summit with Putin on hold and declared his first major sanctions against Russia since returning to the White House.

The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The article Asked on Reddit: Should I Pay Off Loans or Save? originally appeared on NerdWallet.

By STAN CHOE, Associated Press Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are hanging around their records on Wednesday as Wall Street waits to hear from the Federal Reserve in the afternoon about what it will do with interest rates.

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The S&P 500 rose 0.3% in early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 193 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% higher. All three indexes are coming off their latest all-time high.

The bond market was also relatively still as the countdown ticked to the announcement from the Fed. The widespread expectation is that it will announce the second cut of the year to its main interest rate in hopes of helping the slowing job market. More important will be whether the Fed gives hints about whether it will keep cutting at its next meeting in December.

The U.S. stock market has surged to records in part because of expectations for continued cuts to rates, which would help make stock prices look less expensive than they’ve become. But the Fed has warned that it may have to halt the cuts if inflation accelerates beyond its still-high level, because lower rates can worsen inflation.

Making an already tough course for Fed officials more difficult is the U.S. government’s shutdown. That has delayed important updates on the economy that would normally help guide the Fed’s decision-making process.

In the meantime, the deluge continues of big U.S. companies reporting how much profit they made during the summer. The pressure is on to deliver growth because that’s another way they can quiet criticism that their stock prices shot too high in recent months.

Caterpillar rallied 9.3% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Joe Creed said Caterpillar saw resilient demand, as customers bought more equipment, even with a “dynamic environment.”

CVS Health rose 3.1% after topping analysts’ expectations for the latest quarter, despite big losses related to its decision to reduce openings of new primary care clinics in the future. CEO David Joyner said the” company has “stabilized operations.”

Teradyne soared 19% after the company, which makes automated test equipment and advanced robotics systems, likewise reported a stronger profit than analysts expected. CEO Greg Smith credited strength related to artificial-intelligence applications and said “AI-related test demand remains robust.”

Nvidia, meanwhile, was the strongest force lifting the S&P 500 after rising 4.9%. It became the first company valued at $5 trillion on Wall Street, just three months after the AI darling was the first to break through the $4 trillion barrier.

They helped offset a 3.3% drop for Mondelez International, even though it reported stronger results than analysts expected. The company, whose brands include Oreo cookies and Toblerone chocolate, has been dealing with record-high inflation for the cost of cocoa. It expects challenging conditions to continue in some markets, though it hopes that price increases are moderating for cocoa.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe following a stronger finish in Asia.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 jumped 2.2% to another record. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.8% after President Donald Trump met with South Korea’s leader following his visit in Japan.

Stocks rose 0.7% in Shanghai ahead of a meeting between Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping. The world’s two largest economies have been locked in an escalating trade war, with Washington imposing high tariffs and tightened technology controls and China retaliating with curbs on rare earth shipments, one of its key sources of leverage.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 3.98% from 3.99% late Tuesday.

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.