Flu Prevention
Your Best Shot at Stopping the Flu
The CDC recommends a flu shot for everyone 6 months and older starting in the early fall, before flu season begins. UCLA Health will offer the flu vaccine starting Sept. 1, 2026.
How to schedule your flu shot
If you already have a primary care appointment scheduled, you can request a flu shot during that appointment. Otherwise, book your flu shot by calling your primary care office or self-scheduling in myUCLAhealth.
Schedule in the patient portal: To self-schedule your flu shot, log in to myUCLAhealth. Select "Visits/Clinical Notes" from the top navigation and then "Schedule an Appointment." Under the section labeled, “Tell us why you’re coming in,” select "Flu Vaccine Only." Select the locations that work for you, pick the time that you want to come in, and then "Schedule it."
Visit an immediate care clinic: For your convenience, we also offer extended and weekend hours for flu vaccinations in our immediate care locations for walk-ins or by appointment. Please call the clinic to confirm availability.
Who Is Most Vulnerable to the Flu?
Getting the annual flu vaccine is especially important for those who are:
- 65 and older
- People with certain medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, chronic lung disease or history of solid organ transplant
- Pregnant women
- Those who live with or provide care for these high-risk individuals
Flu Vaccination Formulation
The CDC website has information for the 2026-2027 flu season. This year’s flu vaccines are trivalent, which means they cover the three most likely strains of the flu virus expected this season (two A strains and one B strain). All available vaccines are preservative-free and do not contain gluten or latex. The formulations used at UCLA Health are thimerosal-free. UCLA Health will not be carrying the new mRNA flu vaccine this season.
The vaccines provided at UCLA Health include:
- Fluarix: A standard-dose injection approved for people 6 months and older
- Fluzone High-Dose: A high-dose injection for adults who are 65 years and older, or those 18 to 64 years old who have had a solid organ transplant. Contains four times the amount of antigen as the Fluarix vaccine. If the high-dose vaccine is not available, patients may receive the standard dose Fluarix vaccine.
Flu vaccination for people with egg allergy
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted that people with egg allergy may receive any flu vaccine (egg based or non-egg based) that is otherwise appropriate for their age and health status. Additional safety measures are no longer recommended for flu vaccination beyond those recommended for receipt of any vaccine.
The Flu and COVID-19
Ask any UCLA Health infectious disease expert and they’ll tell you this year’s flu shot continues to be important because of COVID-19.
- The flu vaccine can prevent or reduce symptoms that might be confused with COVID-19.
- A milder flu season will lower the number of hospitalizations and ICU admissions.
- Less stress on the hospitals means a healthier, happier Los Angeles.