Get your RSV vaccine today

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus.
Further information about RSV can be found here.    

In most cases, an RSV infection clears within a week or two on its own. Initial signs of RSV are similar to mild cold symptoms. These can include congestion, cough, fever, a runny nose and a sore throat.

Symptoms of an RSV infection usually appear four to six days after exposure and can include the following:

• Coughing 
• Decrease in appetite 
• Fever 
• Runny nose 
• Sneezing 
• Wheezing

Symptoms of RSV in adults that require urgent care can include the following:

• Difficulty breathing
• Dehydration, from not drinking necessary fluids
• Worsening symptoms

These symptoms usually appear in phases and not all at once. 

Because mild RSV symptoms are similar to the common cold, testing usually isn't required to diagnose the infection. 

However, your health care provider may suspect RSV based on your medical history, the time of year and a physical exam. In this case, they may want to run laboratory tests (to confirm the diagnosis with a mouth swab or a blood test to check white blood cell counts and look for viruses).

More information on an RVS diagnosis can be found here.

Each year, it’s estimated that between 60,000 and 160,000 older adults in the United States are hospitalized and between 6,000 and 10,000 die due to RSV infection.     

Older adults and people living in long-term care facilities are at a greater risk for severe infection and pneumonia. Older adults with existing medical conditions, like chronic lung disease and heart disease, are especially at risk.

People with immunodeficiencies are at risk of RSV becoming severe or life-threatening. Those at risk include recipients of organ transplants and patients undergoing chemotherapy, as well as patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

People do not form an immunity to RSV, so they can become infected repeatedly over their lifetime.

RSV is spread from person to person through close contact with someone who is infected.

You can get the virus when:

• An infected person coughs or sneezes.
• Virus droplets from a cough or sneeze get into your eyes, nose or mouth.
• You have direct contact with the virus, such as by kissing the face of a child with RSV.
• You touch a surface that has the virus on it, like a doorknob, and then touch your face before washing your hands.

It takes between two and eight days from the time of RSV exposure for someone to become ill. People infected with RSV are usually contagious for three to eight days and may become contagious a day or two before they start showing signs of illness.

The peak season for RSV infection in the United States is fall through spring.

Learn more about how RSV is spread here.

According to the CDC, there are easy ways available to help prevent the transmission of RSV and other viruses. This is especially important if you have a loved one who is at risk for severe infection.

• Wash your hands often: Use soap and water and wash for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Keep your hands off your face: Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with sick people: Avoid kissing, shaking hands and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who have cold-like symptoms.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your upper shirt sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces: Viruses can live on surfaces and on objects that people frequently touch, such as toys and doorknobs.
• Stay home when you are sick: If possible, stay away from work, school and public areas.

Yes. Eligible pregnant people at 32 through 36 weeks gestational age may schedule an RSV appointment to help protect babies from severe RSV disease using the digital scheduler on CVS.com^® or in the CVS Pharmacy app.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is estimated to cause 58,000 to 80,000 children under the age of 5 years old to be hospitalized each year in the US. Infants 6 months and under are especially at risk for severe illness. By getting vaccinated in weeks 32 through 36 weeks of pregnancy, RSV protection is passed on to the baby if born at least two weeks after vaccination. An FDA-approved and CDC-recommended RSV vaccine can reduce the risk of a baby being hospitalized from RSV by 57% in the first six months after birth.

People who are 32 through 36 weeks pregnant during September through January are recommended by the CDC to get one dose of maternal RSV vaccine to protect their babies. RSV season can vary around the country, so talk to your pharmacist or health care provider about when RSV season is expected where you live. 

Patients should check with their insurer to confirm if the vaccine is covered by their individual plan.

After RSV vaccination, you may experience pain, redness or swelling where the shot was given. Other side effects include diarrhea, fatigue, fever, headache, muscle or joint pain, and nausea.

Further information on RSV side effects is available here.

The new RSV vaccine is available across most of our more than 9,000 CVS Pharmacy^® locations nationwide. Patients should check with their insurer to confirm if the vaccine is covered by their individual plan.

Researchers are working to develop pediatric preventative options to help protect infants and young children from severe RSV, but there is no vaccine currently available for this population yet.