This is the time of year to get together with family and friends, but as you do, experts say you should also protect yourself and your family from getting sick. “The more people you’re around in a greater amount of time, which we tend to spend more time with people at the holidays, the more exposure you’re going to have,” Doctor Jennifer Pearl said. Pearl, with American Academy of Family Physicians, says the holidays happen at the peak of respiratory virus season. She says vaccination can help protect against flu and Covid-19. Both are recommended to everyone six months and older. There’s also an RSV vaccine for adults 75 or older, or those between the ages of 60 and 74 and increased risk of severe RSV. The shot can also be given during pregnancy during weeks 32 and 36. Infants born during RSV season can receive monoclonal antibodies to protect against the virus. “The best time to get your vaccines this season, if you haven’t done so already, is today,” Pearl said. During the holiday, Pearl says it’s important to keep hands clean, cover coughs and sneezes, consider masking if you’re at high risk of getting severely sick, and if you are sick, stay home. “As much as you want to see those folks, you do not want to be the reason why they get something that might make them more sick than you are,” Pearl said.