Adult vaccines: Your questions, answered

May 7, 2026 | 10 min read

Vaccines are an important part of staying well over the long term but are sometimes put on the back burner in adulthood. There are many potential reasons for this – guidance may be confusing, recommendations can change – but there’s no question that they are an important part of preventive health.

Below, Mark Jackson, Pharmacist and Senior Manager of Pharmacy Benefits for Manulife Canada, provides a vaccine education booster, answering some common questions about vaccines and explaining how it’s becoming easier to get the right vaccines at the right time. 

Mark Jackson: Immunity doesn’t always last forever, and there are later-in-life conditions that require additional protection.

Research shows that adults tend to be underinformed about their vaccine status and what’s recommended as they age.¹ Many assume they’re protected for life or simply don’t know they might be due for updates. “Adults might get reminders about flu shots,” Jackson explains, “but less frequent vaccines – like tetanus – are easy to forget.”

While some vaccines offer lifelong protection, such as human papillomavirus and Hepatitis B, many do not. “Vaccines like tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis require boosters every 10 years because immunity fades,” says Jackson. “For flu and COVID-19, it’s not about how many doses you've had in the past but how recent your protection is.”

If you’re not sure what vaccines you’ve had, have a conversation with your primary care provider or pharmacist.

Mark Jackson: Immune systems change with age, and so does risk. Some infections also become more serious with age.

• Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough)
• Pneumococcal disease (pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis)
• Shingles (herpes zoster)
• Annual influenza
• COVID-19
• Measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal disease, and others, depending on past vaccination history

Mark Jackson: It depends on the vaccine.

Many vaccines in Canada, especially those included in provincial immunization programs, don’t require a physician prescription.³ Some travel vaccines, the shingles vaccine, and the pneumococcal vaccine may also be available without one.⁴ “For some vaccines, adults can get them directly from a pharmacist depending on their age and provincial guidelines,” says Jackson.

The shingles vaccine is a good example of how public coverage varies, explains Bobby Currie, Director of Drug Evaluation at Manulife Canada. “In Ontario, it can be a publicly funded vaccination for those aged 65 to 70, but those in younger age groups may also be eligible for vaccination through their primary care provider or even directly at pharmacies.”

Mark Jackson: Pneumonia can lead to severe complications, especially for adults over 50.

Pneumococcal disease causes not only pneumonia, but also meningitis and sepsis. Older adults are at higher risk of serious outcomes from pneumococcal disease.⁵

“It often surprises people that pneumonia and influenza is among the top 10 leading causes of death in Canada,” says Currie. “The vaccine protects against pneumonia and related disease from many strains of pneumococcal bacteria, and for most adults, it typically requires just one dose for lifetime protection.”

Because the bacteria can spread from people without symptoms, vaccination is an important way to stay protected.⁶

Mark Jackson: Shingles is caused by the same virus as chickenpox, but the relationship is complicated.

If you had chickenpox as a child, the virus stays dormant in your body and can reactivate later as shingles. If you never had chickenpox, you can’t get shingles, but you can contract chickenpox from someone experiencing shingles.⁷

“You never get rid of the virus completely; it just goes and hides in some nerve endings,” says Jackson.  “That’s why shingles usually appears as a clearly defined patch of skin, following the path of those nerves.”

A chickenpox vaccine was publicly funded in Canada in 2004. Following the vaccine roll-out, hospitalizations from chickenpox dropped by 60 per cent.⁸

“Being vaccinated against chickenpox lowers your risk of developing shingles later in life,” says Jackson. “But that protection can diminish over time, which is why shingles vaccination is still recommended—even for people immunized in childhood.”

Before 2004, approximately 350,000 chickenpox cases were reported in Canada annually.⁹ That leaves those adults now susceptible to shingles. It can impact any age, but the risk increases significantly after age 50. Complications such as post-herpetic neuralgia, a type of nerve pain that can last months, are more likely in older adults.¹⁰

Mark Jackson: Updated COVID-19 vaccines continue to be recommended.

Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends one dose per year for most adults, with additional doses for people at higher risk of severe illness.

“COVID-19 variants evolve over time,” says Jackson. “Updated vaccines can help ensure you have protection against the strains currently circulating.”

Mark Jackson: Canada has one of the world’s strongest vaccine safety systems.

Vaccines undergo rigorous testing before approval. They’re then monitored continuously by Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada through systems designed to identify any potential safety issues.

“It is normal to have questions about what we put in our bodies,” says Jackson. “But the science is solid. Technologies like mRNA (SARS and COVID-19 vaccines) have been researched for decades and are held to the same high standards as other vaccines in Canada. If you have concerns, it can be helpful to talk with your pharmacist or physician. They can help you feel confident in your decision.”

This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat a condition. If you have questions or concerns about your specific situation or are seeking medical advice, contact your medical doctor or your healthcare provider.