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Don’t Let Respiratory Season Sideline You from What You Love
Vaccinations can be the difference between staying in the game or sitting out
USA PICKLEBALL COURTESY PHOTO
Staying active is one of the best ways to support overall health and well-being as we age.1 From brisk walking, cycling, and strength-training, to the country’s fastest-growing sport, pickleball2 — Americans are embracing activities that keep them moving, connected and engaged.
That’s why USA Pickleball and Sanofi are teaming up to meet people where they are — on the court and in their communities — to help raise awareness about the importance of protecting your health from COVID-19, so you can keep doing the things you love both on and off the court.3
Whether you’re heading to the pickleball court, planning holiday gatherings with loved ones, or simply enjoying an active lifestyle, winter is a time when respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, circulate more widely, making it important to think about your health.
Maintaining an active life takes more than finding an activity you love. Part of staying active is thinking about your overall health, including taking steps to help protect yourself from contagious illnesses such as COVID-19. Here’s why vaccinations can be so important to your health this winter.3,4
CREDIT: ADOBE
Our immune system weakens with age
Many adults are surprised to learn that even people who consider themselves healthy and active may still be at risk for serious illness from COVID-19. As we age, so does our immune system, which is your body’s natural defense system. That means serious illnesses from respiratory viruses like COVID-19 could set back even the most active among us.5
COVID-19 remains a serious, ongoing threat. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus caused an estimated up to 250,000 hospitalizations and as many as 44,000 deaths in the United States between October 2025 and August 2026.6
Older adults face higher risk
Adults 65 and older and those with health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and chronic lung or kidney disease are at greater risk from serious COVID-19 illness.5 Yet, seven out of ten adults 65 and older and four of five adults 18-64 year old with underlying health conditions did not get a 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine.7
A simple step to help keep you in the game
Vaccines remain one of the most effective ways to help protect against serious illness and related complications associated with COVID-19, especially if you’re 65 and older or have certain underlying health conditions.3
The virus that causes COVID-19 keeps evolving. That’s why public health experts recommend a COVID-19 vaccine every year for people who are at increased risk of complications from the virus.3 Today, there are more COVID-19 vaccine choices than ever before. One of these choices is NUVAXOVIDTM (COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted).8
What to know about NUVAXOVID
NUVAXOVID is the only recombinant protein-based, non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine approved in the United States.8
Brought to you by Sanofi, a company with more than 100 years of experience helping to protect public health through vaccination. NUVAXOVID is made with a protein-based technology already used for certain modern flu vaccines.8
NUVAXOVID is approved for use in adults 65 years of age and older to protect against COVID-19. It is also approved for use in people 12 through 64 years of age who have at least one underlying medical condition that places them at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19.8
Vaccination with NUVAXOVID may not protect all people who receive the vaccine. Nuvaxovid does not contain SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. NUVAXOVID cannot give you or your child COVID-19.8
In a clinical study, NUVAXOVID provided 90% effectiveness in protecting against illness from COVID-19 and 100% protection against moderate-to-severe COVID-19.8
Regardless of which COVID-19 vaccine you’ve received before, NUVAXOVID is an option for eligible individuals. Plus, people 65 years and older can receive both a COVID-19 and flu vaccine during the same visit.3,8,9
Be proactive about protecting yourself
Whether you’re playing pickleball, traveling to see loves ones or simply enjoying the routines that keep you active and connected, taking steps to protect your health can help you spend more time doing what you love. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about scheduling your COVID-19 vaccination and whether NUVAXOVID is right for you.3
Through their partnership, USA Pickleball and Sanofi share a commitment to supporting communities and encouraging people to learn more about COVID-19 protection.
Scheduling your shot is one of the easiest steps you can take to make sure you can keep doing the things you love, from spending time with friends and family to perfecting your overhead smash so you’re a fearsome opponent on the pickleball court.3
Ready to help protect yourself against COVID-19? Find a Nuvaxovid vaccine location near you.
Important Safety Information
You or your child should not get NUVAXOVID if you had a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose of NUVAXOVID or to any of its ingredients.
There is a remote chance that the vaccine could cause a severe allergic reaction, which would usually occur within a few minutes to one hour after getting a dose. For this reason, the vaccination provider may ask you or your child to stay at the place where you or your child received the vaccine for monitoring after vaccination. Signs of a severe allergic reaction can include: difficulty breathing, swelling of the face and throat, a fast heartbeat, a bad rash all over the body and/or dizziness and weakness.
Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart) have occurred in some people who have received NUVAXOVID. The chance of having this occur is very low. You should seek medical attention right away if you or your child have any of the following symptoms after receiving the vaccine: chest pain; shortness of breath; feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering, or pounding heart.
Other side effects reported in clinical trials and/or post-approval use of NUVAXOVID include: Injection site reactions (pain/tenderness, swelling, redness and itching), fatigue or generally feeling unwell, muscle pain, headache, joint pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, allergic reactions such as hives and swelling of the face, swollen lymph nodes, paresthesia (unusual feeling in the skin such as tingling or a crawling feeling), and hypoesthesia (decreased feeling or sensitivity, especially in the skin).
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Patient Information, for more details.
Sources
- National Institute on Aging. Health benefits of exercise and physical activity. National Institute on Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/exercise-and-physical-activity/health-benefits-exercise-and-physical-activity
- Sports & Fitness Industry Association; U.S. Pickleball Participation Statistics. https://sfia.org/research/u-s-pickleball-participation/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025, November 19). Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. https://www.cdc.gov/covid/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Flu, RSV, COVID-19 and other respiratory threats this fall and winter. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/125451/cdc_125451_DS1.pdf
- Ajufo, E., Rao, S., Navar, A., et al. U.S. population at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2021; 6: 100156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpc.2021.100156.
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preliminary Estimates of COVID-19 Burden. Accessed April 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/covid/php/surveillance/burden-estimates.html
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccination Uptake, Intent, and Confidence. Accessed April 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/respvaxview/dashboards/vaccination-behavioral-social-drivers.html
- NUVAXOVID. Prescribing Information. Sanofi Vaccines US Inc.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getting a flu vaccine and other recommended vaccines at the same time. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/vaccines/coadministration.html
MAT-US-2610311-v1.0-10/2026
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