Flu season 2026–2027: what caregivers need to know

Flu season is here. Nurse aides, medication aides and home caregivers work every day with the people most at risk of serious illness, so protecting yourself also protects your residents and patients.

What is new this season

• All three vaccine strains were updated compared with last year (FDA decision of March 13, 2026), including the H3N2 strain to cover the “subclade K” virus that spread widely during the 2025–2026 season.
• Manufacturers expect up to 135 million doses for the U.S.; all of them are three-strain (trivalent) vaccines, and 99% contain no thimerosal.
• Flu vaccines are available for everyone 6 months and older. Ask your employer, pharmacy or doctor where to get yours.

Five habits that stop the spread at work

1. Clean your hands before and after every resident contact, and after removing gloves.
2. Wear the right PPE — and put it on and take it off in the right order.
3. Cover coughs and sneezes, and offer masks to residents with symptoms when your facility asks you to.
4. Clean shared equipment (thermometers, blood-pressure cuffs, wheelchairs) between residents.
5. Stay home when you are sick and tell your supervisor about fever or respiratory symptoms.

Want a refresher? Our online Infection Control & Proper Use of PPE course (8 clock hours, $70) can be completed at your own pace, with a certificate at the end.

Sources: CDC – 2026-2027 Flu Season · AHCA/NCAL – CDC interim guidance for the 2026–2027 flu season