Question: I received a pneumonia vaccine in December 2024. I was told at that time that I should get my next pneumovax in December 2025, which is my birthday month. I ended up not getting that vaccine due to illness (RSV). In early 2026 I went to my local pharmacy to request a pneumovax shot and was told that per the CDC guidelines I don’t need to get it. I have all the other vaccines I need (or can get due to allergic reaction issues) at this time (including flu and COVID). Should I still get the pneumovax? It seems to me I read that, that particular vaccine has four things that the other vaccines don’t have so I sounds like it would be beneficial to get it.

Answer: This is a complicated question! Here are the recommendations are for adults 50 years and older.

• Whether you should receive a second pneumovax vaccine depends on what version of the vaccine you received in 2024.
  • If it was PCV15, then a second dose of PPSV23 is recommended one year later and then pneumococcal vaccinations are complete.
  • If it was PCV20 or PCV21, a dose of PPSV23 isn’t indicated. Regardless of which vaccine is used (PCV20 or PCV21), your pneumococcal vaccinations would be considered complete.
• Since you are unsure which formulation you received, you may reach out to your healthcare provider to ask which PCV formulation was administered. You may also go to the My Vax page on MIIS to view your digital vaccine record. You can establish an account by going here: https://www.mass.gov/massachusetts-vaccination-records.
• Once you know what version of the vaccine you received, you can also use the PneumoRecs Vax Advisor web version: https://www2a.cdc.gov/vaccines/m/pneumo/pneumo.html to see what you may be due for. In some individual situations, the recommendation may be slightly different.
• Even though this is a CDC site, it is based on recommendations developed by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) back in 2024 and is still considered accurate and evidence-based by experts who believe that science should be the basis for medical decision-making.

Note: Valley Vax may refer to CDC guidelines that are still considered valid and accurate or may link to other sites that feature these still reputable guidelines. This is a rapidly changing situation and we do our best to stay current. We welcome the community’s questions and input about anything that is confusing or does not seem to be in alignment with the values we are trying to uphold.

As for your question about how PPSV 23 has “4 things that the other vaccines don’t have”, this refers to serotype 4. The PPSV23 contains serotype 4 while PCV21 does not. In certain adult populations in the Western US (Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico, Navajo Nation and Oregon) serotype 4 has caused high percentages of invasive pneumococcal disease. If you travel and/or spend long periods of time in the Western U.S, you should speak to your healthcare provider to see if PPSV 23 is appropriate for you to receive.

Question: My wife and I have had 11 Covid shots. The last being in the fall of 2025. How many months after our last shot do you suggest we get the next one?

Answer: Thanks so much for your question. If you and/or your wife are over 65, the current recommendation from the Mass Department of Public Health is that you should receive another dose of the 2025/2026 COVID shot six months after the first one. If you are under 65, only one COVID shot per year is recommended. We also encourage you to discuss COVID-19 vaccination with your healthcare provider, based on your individual risk factors.

Question: Do you accept donations, or are there other ways for the community to support Valley Vax?

Answer: At the current time we are not accepting donations but could certainly use your help spreading the word about the website so please let friends, neighbors and colleagues know about it. We also hope to conduct outreach events in the future and would welcome the support of community members as volunteers. If you are interested in that kind of opportunity, let us know and we will be in touch.