What to know about getting updated Covid-19 booster, flu shot at the same time

 

What to know about getting updated Covid-19 booster, flu shot at the same time

 

Fall and winter are around the corner, which means not only is it time to get your flu shot, but US health officials are urging everyone who is eligible to get their updated Covid-19 booster, too.   The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the updated Covid-19 vaccine boosters this month, after the US Food and Drug Administration’s authorization. The updated Pfizer/BioNTech booster is authorized for people 12 and older, and Moderna’s is authorized for 18 and older.   Some officials predict that the updated Covid-19 shots could be the start of recommended boosters for Americans each year, similar to how updated annual flu vaccines are given. But Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has acknowledged the plan to give annual shots might need to be revised if the coronavirus makes a significant evolutionary leap, as it did when the Omicron variant surfaced last Thanksgiving. He likened this to an “out-of-left-field curveball."   “For a majority of Americans, one shot a year will provide a very high degree of protection against serious illness, and that’s what we’ve got to be focused on,” White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha told CNN last week. “Maybe for some high-risk people – the elderly, the immunocompromised – they may need protection more than once a year, but for a majority of Americans, that’s where it is, and I think that’s a really good place to be.”   The updated Covid-19 vaccine booster and seasonal flu vaccines are available at most pharmacies, doctor’s offices and health care clinics. Some local public health departments are also planning to schedule joint vaccine clinics, Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told CNN.   The hope is for joint clinics to make it more convenient and accessible for people to get their vaccinations – but not everyone might be interested in or even eligible for both vaccines at the same time. Plus, some experts say it’s still early to get a flu shot.   A single dose of the updated Covid-19 booster is recommended at least two months after the initial vaccine series or your most recent booster.   “Now, suppose you’ve recovered from Covid – and many people of course have had Covid this summer – wait three months, at least,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.   He added that it’s important to get your booster as soon as you are eligible. As for the flu shot, the recommended timing of vaccination for this flu season is similar to last season, according to the CDC’s website.   “For most people who need only one dose for the season, September and October are generally good times to get vaccinated,” the CDC says, adding that while “ideally” it’s recommended to get vaccinated by the end of October, later vaccination can still provide protection during the peak of flu season.   “The ideal time is during the month of October and maybe the first couple of weeks of November. And the reason I say that is – particularly for older people and people who are frail – that will help their protection extend well through February into March, and that’s when flu often peaks in the United States in February,” Schaffner said. “Everyone ages 6 months and older should get influenza vaccine.”   Schaffner added that some people have asked him whether the Covid-19 vaccine protects against flu or vice versa. They do not.   “You do have to get both vaccines,” he said. “The Covid vaccine will not protect against flu. The flu vaccine will not protect against Covid.”