WASHINGTON — Fall means it’s time for just about everybody to get up to date on their flu and COVID-19 vaccines — and a lot of older adults also need protection against another risky winter virus, RSV.

Yes, you can get your flu and COVID-19 shots at the same time. Don’t call them boosters — they’re not just another dose of last year’s protection. The coronavirus and influenza are escape artists that constantly mutate to evade your body’s immune defenses, so both vaccines are reformulated annually to target newer strains.

“Right now is the best time” to get all the recommended fall vaccinations, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as she got her flu shot Wednesday. She has an appointment for her COVID-19 shot too. It’s “the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself, your family, your community.”

While they’re not perfect, vaccinations offer strong protection against a bad case of flu or COVID-19 — or dying from it.

“I would rather have my grandmother or my great-grandmother have a sniffle than have to go to the emergency room on Thanksgiving,” said CDC’s Dr. Demetre Daskalakis.

The CDC urges both an updated COVID-19 shot and yearly flu vaccine for everyone ages 6 months and older. Both viruses can be especially dangerous to certain groups, including older people and those with weak immune systems and lung or heart disease. Children also are vulnerable. The CDC counted 199 child deaths from the flu last year.

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a coldlike nuisance for most people but it, too, packs hospitals every winter and can be deadly for children under 5, the elderly and people with certain high-risk health problems.

The CDC recommends an RSV vaccination for everyone 75 and older, and for people 60 to 74 who are at increased risk. This is a one-time shot. It’s also recommended late in pregnancy to protect babies born during the fall and winter.

And while “your arm may hurt and you may feel crummy for a day,” it’s also fine to get the RSV, flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time, Daskalakis said.