Only about half of Americans get the seasonal flu shot each year, according to 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Also, a 2021 survey from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases shows that among those who are not getting the flu vaccine, one in four is at high risk for flu-related complications. These trends concern many medical professionals-especially as some reports are suggesting that infection rates during the Southern Hemisphere's 2022 flu season are surpassing rates from before the Covid-19 pandemic started. Some public health and infectious disease experts consider that a forecast for what may be on the horizon in the Northern Hemisphere this year.
And, since the CDC's September 2, 2022 announcement, many Americans are now eligible for updated booster shots. (Use the CDC's interactive quiz to find out if you're eligible.)
So, as we move into the 2022-2023 flu season and year four of Covid-19, some doctors urge everyone who can to re-up their protection by getting both the Covid vaccine and flu shot. But...can you kill two viruses with one clinic visit? Here's what some of the nation's leading clinicians told us.
Experts say these 12 items will help you weather this year's flu season
The technical term for getting multiple vaccines together is "vaccine co-administration." Medical professionals say the answer to whether this is a good idea depends largely on your age and health status, the vaccines you're considering, how urgent the need is to start building protection, and personal preferences.
As a general rule, there are very few vaccines that can't be co-administered, says L.J Tan, MS, PhD, an infectious disease specialist and the chief policy and partnership officer at the Immunization Action Coalition in St. Paul, MN. However, Dr. Tan says, there are some vaccines that definitely don't belong together-adding that when vaccines are co-administered, they should go in different anatomic sites (locations on the body). "It can be in the same arm if they are spaced an inch apart," he says.
This allows your doctor or pharmacist to identify which vaccine caused a reaction, should one occur.
Here, medical pros and researchers list which vaccines can be given at the same time, and which can't. (Note: always consult with your care provider before making a decision.)
Beat the upcoming flu season with daily health and wellness updates in The Healthy @Reader's Digest newsletter
We're approaching flu season and still managing through the Covid-19 pandemic. Len Horovitz, MD, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, says this means protection against both of these viruses is essential.
When Covid-19 vaccines were first rolling out in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended waiting two weeks between the shots and other immunizations as a precaution, but the agency has changed course and now says you can do both at once.
"There were some concerns early on given the newness of the Covid-19 vaccines, but now we know that it is safe to get both at the same time," says Mohammad Sobhanie, MD, an infectious disease expert at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, OH.
Can you test positive for Covid-19 after getting the vaccine?
Now that Covid-19 vaccines are available for children as young as six months, kids can get the Covid-19 and flu shot in the same visit, Dr. Tan says.
If you are coming in for your third or fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine (the "booster") and haven't had your flu or pneumonia shots yet, you can get them all at the same time.
"Get the more reactive one in one arm (the Covid-19 shot) and the flu and pneumonia vaccines spaced an inch on the other arm," Dr. Tan says. "Yes, both arms may hurt, but this is a small price to pay for protection against three deadly diseases," he notes.
Get the best protection this season and avoid these 8 mistakes that can mess up your flu shot
Other inactivated and/or live virus vaccines such as the flu shot can be given at the same time as the HepA vaccine.
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection that's preventable by getting the hepatitis A vaccine.
The CDC recommends hepatitis A shots for children aged 12 to 23 months, children and adolescents aged two to 18 years who have not already received hepatitis A vaccines, and people at increased risk for hepatitis A or severe disease from hepatitis A infection.
Pregnant women at risk for hepatitis A or for severe outcome from hepatitis A infection should consider vaccination, the CDC states. Risk for hepatitis A increases with international travel, illicit drug use, and homelessness. Men who have sex with other men may also be at increased risk for Hepatitis A.
Here are 15 suprising ways to prevent colds and flu
You can administer either pneumonia vaccine (PCV13 or PPSV23) and the flu shot during the same visit, Dr. Horovitz says.
In general, the CDC recommends pneumonia vaccines for young kids, older adults, and certain at-risk people. Pneumovax (PPSV23) protects against 23 common types of pneumococcus, and Prevnar (PCV13) protects against 13 types.
Is your upper respiratory infection walking pneumonia?
Shingles, a painful rash caused by a reactivation of the chickenpox virus, is preventable. The CDC recommends that anyone over 50 get two doses of the shingles vaccine.
Dr. Horovitz isn't a fan of combining a shingles shot with any other type of vaccine. "Ten percent of people will be really sick from a shingles shot, and their arm will really hurt, so I don't like to layer shingles vaccines," he says.
Doctors say this vaccine may reduce your cancer risk
You can't give the PCV13 pneumonia shot with a meningococcal conjugate vaccine, as they may interfere with your body's immunologic response to PCV13, the CDC warns. There are two meningitis vaccines available in the United States: meningococcal conjugate or MenACWY vaccines. There's also a vaccine against meningitis B. All 11- and 12-year-olds should get a MenACWY vaccine, with a booster dose at age 16.
Learn which 1980s TV icon is vaccinating her kids against meningitis
Some people should get both pneumonia shots for protection against all strains of this lung infection, but not during the same visit, the CDC cautions.
This is different from getting multiple vaccines in the same sitting.
"If you are in a location and can get your third shot or Covid-19 booster, and the type you received for your first two shots in the series is not available, it's reasonable to receive the other type as a booster," Dr. Sobhanie says.
This only applies to the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA Covid-19 vaccines.
Here's what doctors want you to know about Covid booster side effects
Keep copious records of all the vaccines you receive, along with dates, to make sure you stay on top of your medical records and ahead of these preventable diseases, Dr. Horovitz adds.
To keep up to date on current health and wellness news, follow The Healthy on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Keep reading:
The post The Covid Booster and Flu Shot: Should You Get Both on the Same Day? Doctors' Advice for the 2022-2023 Flu Season appeared first on The Healthy.