You Can Now Give Your Family The Nasal Flu Vaccine At Home

According to the CDC, flu vaccination rates in adults and children have been dropping year over year. In 2024, around 55% of children received their flu shot, while less than 45% of adults got theirs. In a landscape where vaccines are constantly under attack politically — though experts have never wavered in their stance that they are necessary for public health — and health insurance access is in limbo for roughly half of all American children, that rate isn’t set to improve in 2025. But what if some of the common barriers to getting a vaccine — making time for an appointment, putting a fearful kid through a shot, just worrying how you’ll physically get to the doctor’s office — were removed?

Today, AstraZeneca is releasing the first at-home vaccine: FluMist. It’s a nasal flu vaccine you can order online at FluMist.com and have delivered straight to your home. It comes with thorough instructions on how to store and administer it to yourself and others, so your whole family can get protection from the flu conveniently, without any needles. As the company stated during a press briefing on Aug. 14, the purpose of the product is to make flu vaccination convenient and easy for busy people and families.

How does an at-home vaccine work?

If you’re a visual learner (same), you can watch a video of someone administering the vaccine on the FluMist website. Perhaps the most complicated part of this process is the delivery. When your package arrives, you’ll see something called a tiveTag on the inside of the box. You’ll have to download the tiveTag app on your Apple or Android device to scan the tag. The tag will confirm for you with a green check mark that your vaccine stayed within the required temperature range and is safe to use, or a red X if it’s no longer safe.

To administer the vaccine:

1. You’ll refrigerate your vaccine upon its arrival. Take it out of the fridge and remove the gray cap on the tube, but not the little dose divider (a bumper that allows you to depress the plunger far enough to administer one dose from the tube into one nostril while holding back the second dose for the other nostril).
2. Spray into one nostril.
3. Remove the dose divider.
4. Spray into the other nostril.

That’s it, just spritz-spritz-go. Once administered, FluMist begins offering protection from the flu in about two weeks, according to AstraZeneca and the CDC. Personally, I love that there are no needles involved in this vaccine, and I think my 4-year-old will like this version a lot better. But will it keep him just as safe?

Is FluMist as effective as a regular vaccine?

While taking FluMist at home is a new concept, the actual product itself has about 20 years of safety and efficacy data to back it up, according to vaccine development experts at AstraZeneca. It is the same nasal flu vaccine you would get at your doctor’s office or pharmacy, but now delivered to your house and able to be administered by anyone. It is considered just as effective as the injectable version for most people.

“Eligible people between the ages of 2 and 49 may receive FluMist or the flu shot, with no preference given to either option. For everyone else, an age-appropriate flu vaccine should be given,” the AstraZeneca website states. A representative for AstraZeneca told me via email, “FluMist should not be used in children younger than 2 years of age as clinical trials have demonstrated increased risk of hospitalization and wheezing in this patient population. FluMist effectiveness has not been demonstrated in adults 50 years of age and older.”

I filled out the health questionnaire on FluMist’s website, and it also stated that folks with underlying health conditions or suppressed immune systems should speak with their doctors, as it may be better for them to receive an injectable vaccine.

As for side effects, you may still experience some of those, too. While there obviously won’t be any irritation or soreness at an injection site (yay!), the most common side effects include runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, and fever over 100 °F.

Does insurance cover FluMist?

It can! If your insurance normally covers your injectable flu vaccine, it should also cover your FluMist order. I filled out the medical questionnaire and all of my information to see if my insurance would cover FluMist, and it did. There are some small shipping and consultation fees (a provider looks over your questionnaire to ensure FluMist is right for you), so my total was $8.99.

What if you need vaccination records for school or your pediatrician?

Typically, you’d leave the doctor’s office with an updated vaccine form, but uh, you don’t have those at home. During a press briefing, AstraZeneca experts stated that FluMist comes with instructions to download a form verifying that you’ve been vaccinated, which you can share with your doctor, your kids’ schools, or what have you. You can also opt to report your vaccination status to state registries.

Whether you opt to try an at-home vaccine or stick with what you know and get it from your doctor, remember that while the flu is certainly no fun to catch, it’s also not just any old cold — it can have serious, life-altering outcomes, and even result in death. Be sure to chat with your doctor if you have any questions about whether or not FluMist will work for you. It’s currently approved for use in people ages 2 through 49, and should not be given to anyone with “a severe allergy to its components, eggs, or other flu vaccines; or are 2 through 17 years old and take aspirin or medicines containing aspirin.”