Your annual flu shot is covered by most insurances. You’ll be asked to provide your insurance information at the time of your shot.
If you don’t have insurance, you can still get a flu shot at Geisinger.

The flu shot doesn’t contain the active virus, so it can’t cause you to get the flu. You might feel a bit under the weather, though, as it revs up your immune system and your body creates antibodies.

You might have some minor side effects including:

• Soreness, redness and/or swelling
• Headache
• Fever
• Nausea
• Muscle aches

If you have side effects, you should feel better within a day or two. If not, contact your doctor.

The CDC recommends annual flu shots for everyone 6 months and older. Vaccination is particularly important for people at higher risk of serious complications — including anyone age 65 or older, children younger than 2, pregnant women and those with medical conditions like asthma, cancer, COPD, diabetes, kidney or liver disease.

Flu season begins in the fall, peaking between November and January. Protect yourself all season by getting your flu shot in September.

If you don’t get your shot early, it can still be beneficial throughout flu season. So, if you forget, get it as soon as you can.

Several strains of flu go around, and the flu shot covers the ones you’re most likely to get. But it’s possible to catch a strain that isn’t covered by the vaccine. Still, getting the vaccine reduces your chances of getting the flu. And the vaccine can also reduce how severe the flu is if you do get it.

You may be able to get the current version of the flu shot offered at Geisinger. Talk to your doctor to learn about your options.

Yes. The flu shot at Geisinger has a very small amount of egg — so small that most people with egg allergies can get the shot.

Geisinger also has a limited supply of egg-free flu vaccines available for people with egg allergies who have had severe reactions to the shot in the past.

If you’re allergic to eggs, talk to your doctor about which shot is right for you.

We offer two types of flu vaccines:

• Fluzone: A standard dose, three strain (trivalent) vaccine that is approved for patients 6 months and older. This will be the flu vaccine we offer to people between 6 months and 64 years old.
• Fluzone HD: A high dose, trivalent vaccine approved for people 65 and older. The higher dosage helps to produce a more robust and long-lasting immune response in those whose immune systems may not be as strong.

Yes. All standard dose flu vaccines are approved for use in people 6 months to 64 years old.

All flu vaccines available in the United States contain the same strains as determined by the World Health Organization and then approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For the 2025–2026 season, all available flu vaccines in the U.S. are the trivalent vaccines.