Do older adults get vaccines every 3-4 months?

The old “too many” trope has come for the adult schedule. Now, anti-vaxxers claim that older adults get so many vaccines that it is the equivalent of a vaccine every 3-4 months for two decades.

• The study these claims are based on found a 12.6% miscarriage rate, not 82%.
• The 82% figure came from removing 700 live births from the calculation.
• That 82% does not represent the miscarriage risk after first-trimester vaccination.

Much of the total comes from vaccines that are given on a regular schedule, such as flu and COVID vaccines. Over many years, those doses can add up. Let’s count vaccines that protect against six other diseases: RSV, shingles, pneumococcal disease, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.

When all of these vaccines are counted together, the schedule may average out to about one vaccine every few months. However, vaccines are not usually spaced out evenly. Some may be given at the same visit, while others are given months or years apart.

These vaccines are recommended to lower the risk of serious illness. Shingles is one example. Shingles is a painful rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. About 1 in 3 people will develop shingles during their lifetime, and the risk goes up with age.

There is no cure for shingles, but treatment may include antiviral medicine, prescription pain medicine, and over-the-counter medicine. The shingles vaccine is given in two doses and can lower the chance of getting shingles and its complications.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) shares the recommended vaccine schedule for adults aged 19 and older here.