All Illinois adults should get a COVID-19 vaccine this fall to prepare for this year’s respiratory illness season, state public health officials announced this week in recommendations that differ from federal guidelines some medical experts have called confusing.

The Illinois Department of Public Health’s guidance also recommends Illinoisans get shots for flu and RSV in accordance with their age group. State public health officials said parents should continue to follow the immunization schedule approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of Aug. 7, “which are based on years of science, research, data, and best practices.”

“At a time when the federal government is abdicating its responsibility to provide clear, science-informed guidance, Illinois is stepping up,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a news release. “Illinois will continue to empower providers and families across our state with the information and access they need to guard against illness and disease.”

IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said the agency’s recommendations were released after consultation with the IDPH Immunization Advisory Committee. The guidance will allow residents to get COVID-19 shots in local pharmacies and other health care facilities.

“All Illinoisans, including concerned parents and health care providers, deserve credible, transparent, science-based vaccine guidance,” Vohra said.

Who should get a COVID-19 shot?

While Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s new vaccine advisers last week declined to recommend COVID-19 shots for everyone and instead declared the choice up to those who want it, IDPH officials recommend the shot for a majority of the population:

• All adults

• People who are pregnant, plan to become pregnant or postpartum, including those who are breastfeeding

• Children between 6 months and 23 months

• Children aged 2 years to 17 years with at least one health factor of severe illness or if they are around or live in a house with immunocompromised people

• Children with weakened immune systems

• Children whose parent or guardian want them to get a shot

Other IDPH recommendations released Tuesday include guidance for flu and RSV.

Who should get a flu shot?

• All children ages 6 months to 17 years

• Anyone who is pregnant

• All adults

Who should get an RSV shot?

• All infants under 8 months whose mothers did not already get an RSV shot

• Certain children ages 8 to 19 months who have an increased risk for severe illness

• All pregnant people during weeks 32 to 36 in their pregnancy

• Adults aged 50 to 74 with increased risk of severe illness

• All adults 75 and older

Why seasonal shots?

Seasonal shots for respiratory illnesses such as influenza, COVID-19 and RSV are not new. They’re a longstanding public health strategy to keep people healthy as winter hits.

COVID-19, flu, RSV and other vaccinations provide strong protection against serious illness and the risk of spreading illness to others, said Dr. Irfan Hafiz, infectious disease specialist and chief medical officer at Northwestern Medicine McHenry, Huntley and Woodstock hospitals.

“There’s illnesses that spread within the household, a lot of people get sick, they lose time at school and work and get sick enough that they need health care,” Hafiz said. “And if there’s a lot of people needing health care at the same time, certainly it can put a stress on resources. So trying to keep health, keeping them in school and work is really the goal here.”

Viruses mutate as time progresses, Hafiz said. The strain of coronavirus that existed at the start of the pandemic five years ago – and even the strain that was prevalent when vaccines first reached the public majority in 2021 – isn’t the predominant one now in 2025. Flu mutates similarly.

So researchers create an updated vaccination each year meant to target and build immunity against current virulent strains.

“Having those updated vaccines certainly keeps your body trained for that season and what to expect,” Hafiz said. “It’s kind of like giving your body a refresher course.”

Hafiz said Illinoisans shouldn’t wait to get their shots until it gets cold. Get them sooner rather than later, since it takes about two to four weeks post-shot to build full immunity.

[ What to know about Illinois vaccine requirements for schoolchildren ]

What to know about COVID, flu shots

Dr. Ravi Jhaveri, head of infectious disease at Lurie’s Children’s Hospital in Chicago said Illinois is fortunate to have its own guidelines that provide clear instructions to residents.

He said he believes a “vast majority” of people want and expect vaccines for their children, and haven’t asked for any changes to federal guidance.

“I am very concerned that people in very prominent positions are discussing vaccines in a manner that does not represent the current evidence that’s out there,” Jhaveri said.

He said the vaccination recommendations also prioritize wider access, part of a public health strategy to ensure certain levels of immunization are reached which are important to keep more people safe, healthy and out of hospitals.

“COVID is still around,” Jhaveri said. “I myself had COVID a few weeks ago, and it spread throughout my family. We’ve had coworkers have it. We have a regular cohort of children in the hospital because of complications, usually bacterial infections that come along right after the infection. COVID is still around, and it’s still impacting us on an everyday basis.”

A seasonal COVID shot still has an important benefit, Jhaveri said.

Hafiz said people should remember that COVID and flu shots can help protect others, too.

“It’s not only a vaccination to keep you from getting sick but it’s also to reduce how much you’re spreading it to others,” Hafiz said.

People with compromised immune systems – examples include people with cancer or undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant patients, and people on medication long-term like corticosteroids – are at greater risk for complications, hospitalizations, and even death if they contract an illness.

Why vaccinate more people than fewer?

“We have learned the hard lessons over many many years that really to make meaningful progress in preventing many infectious diseases is that you can’t take a partial vaccination approach,” Jhaveri said. “That never gets you the results that you want. You really need to ensure that everyone is vaccinated in order to make sure that the infectious agents don’t find pockets of the population where they can circulate.”

According to IDPH data, 1.5 million Illinoisans got a COVID-19 shot in fall 2024. Almost 3.6 million Illinoisans got their flu shot for the same period.

Data also shows that Illinoisans are still getting other vaccines, including common childhood shots, when the time comes, Jhaveri said.

Advice for parents?

Who should parents turn to when federal health officials are saying one thing and state health officials another?

Both Jhaveri and Hafiz said parents should seek experts who stick to the science. Talk with their pediatrician, who can answer questions or address concerns.

“Parents know that their pediatrician and primary care doctors are there when their kids are well, sick, they know that those individuals have the best interest of their children at heart,” Jhaveri said. “So really they should tune out the noise from other people who had other motivations beyond the best interest of their children. Go and have a talk with your doctor.”