Can you get the flu shot and COVID vaccine at the same time? What about the flu shot and a booster COVID vaccine dose?
Flu shots are becoming available at doctors offices and pharmacies across the U.S. While some have wondered whether the COVID booster shot would be enough to cover the regular seasonal flu- health experts warn that they are two very different vaccines.
“Vaccinations are very specific to the virus and the covid virus is different than the flu virus, so yes I would say it’s even more important to get the flu shot this year along with your COVID vaccination than it was last year,” Melissa Bronstein told News10NBC. She serves as Senior Director of Infection Prevention at Rochester Regional Health.
It all comes down to protection from both viruses.
“Why? There are still some places where we’re not masking consistently people are tired of doing all the things that will keep us safe from flu and COVID,” Bronstein added.
Last year the CDC recommended two weeks separation between the COVID vaccine and the flu shot. That has since gone away, since health officials have identified no risks associated with getting them together.
The takeaway remains the same, though: Talk to your healthcare provider about your situation, and make decisions based on their expertise. Health officials say that doctors are being armed with the information they will need to navigate flu season, as well as a possible wintertime surge of COVID-19.
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