Should You Get Your Covid & Flu Shots At The Same Time? Small Study, New Research Suggests Yes

[appalachiablue]

NBC, Nov. 14, 2023. - A small study indicated that getting Covid and flu shots together could produce a stronger antibody response against the coronavirus than receiving them separately. - Ed.

The study measured the antibody levels of 42 health care workers in Mass. who were vaccinated last fall. Twelve of the participants received a bivalent Covid booster and seasonal influenza shot on the same day. Another 30 received the shots on different days within the span of a month. Three to four weeks after people got their Covid boosters, those who had received the flu shot at the same time had higher levels of IgG1, an antibody involved in the body's front-line defense against Covid.

The results held true 6 months later, suggesting that co-administering the vaccines could improve long-term protection. “We showed that the Covid antibody responses were higher and more durable if the Covid and flu vaccines were given on the same day,” said Susanna Barouch, the study’s lead author. The research is undergoing peer review and has not been published in a scientific journal.

Ryan McNamara, the lab's director and senior author on the study, said the findings still need to be replicated in a larger group of volunteers, but he felt it was useful to share the results right away. In Sept., the findings were posted to the preprint server BioRxiv. "We thought that these findings were very important for immediate public health decision making," McNamara said. He expects the results to apply to this year’s updated Covid vaccines, he added, though his team plans to explore that further.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting Covid and flu vaccines at the same appointment if people are eligible for both shots at once. But that recommendation is based on convenience rather than efficacy, said Dr. Judith O’Donnell, at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Phila., who wasn’t part of the study. “We probably would want to see this kind of data replicated using the current 2023 vaccines to really know with 100% certainty how giving those together might enhance immunity or not,” she said...
Read More,
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/get-covid-flu-shots-time-new-research-suggests-yes-rcna124932

[rickford66]

1. I got COVID, FLU and RSV at the same time.

Mild flu-like symptoms for 24 hours. The pharmacist said she observed no problems getting all three at the same time.

[appalachiablue]

4. Glad that worked for you. Two is my limit for now..

[50 Shades Of Blue]

5. I got Covid and flu shots together, but even though I had also requested an RSV

Shot when I signed up online, when I got there the pharmacist (CVS) would not do all three shots at the same time. Said it would be too hard on my system! But the only reaction I had to getting the two shots I did at the same time was a couple of sore arms for a few days.

Interesting to hear that your pharmacist had no problem doing all three. I'm old, wonder if that had anything to do with it.

[appalachiablue]

7. More from the article on some issues with elders:

.. An October analysis from the Food and Drug Administration, which has not been peer-reviewed, also identified a slightly elevated risk of stroke among people ages 85 and up who had received a high-dose flu shot at the same time as a bivalent Covid vaccine.

Dr. Scott Roberts, an infectious disease specialist at Yale Medicine, said it's possible that "we're starting to see the immune system revved up so much that we're seeing these inflammatory conditions like stroke in this select age group."

But Barron noted that many older people have underlying health conditions that independently increase their risk of stroke, and several other studies have not identified the same safety concern with co-administering Covid and flu shots...

[True Blue American]

10. There is a history of younger people having heart attacks, too

But no proof yet.

[appalachiablue]

11. I didn't know that, ty.

[True Blue American]

9. I had flu shot and vaccine

Same time last year.

My family Doctor said the new shots were mostly for mild symptoms but it would not hurt me to get the vaccine.

I received my flu shot and seem to have some flu symptoms this time. First time ever.

[rickford66]

14. I'm 77

I signed up for all three on the CVS APP. I doubled checked with the pharmacist when I arrived and she said no problem.

[ChazInAz]

8. I got the Covid and flu shots simultaneously.

Knocked me off my trotters the next day, but that's better than catching the two.
Ironically, I came down with strep shortly afterwards!

[appalachiablue]

12. Strep, whoa that's too bad. I recently did

a post on how it's rising this season. Take care.

[2naSalit]

2. Did it last year without issues.

[appalachiablue]

3. Good to know, tx.

[2naSalit]

6. I never used to...

Get flu vaccine but since covid I do. I'm waiting for a call to get the new covid shot from my dr's clinic but they have not called yet, going to check on that today. I plan to get the RSV and shingles shots later but soon.

[appalachiablue]

13. I'm so late, just got the Covid vax, flu has

to be soon, then RSV and Shingles. My schedule is off partly cuz I don't want to take 2 vaccines at the same time.