In light of the new Omicron variant Pirola, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) brought forward the flu and COVID booster vaccination dates for millions of eiligible people this year.
But if you haven’t got yours yet and (as experts advise) you want to get both soon, you might be wondering how long, or if, you should wait between the two jabs.
We asked experts whether or not it’s a good idea to get both the vaccines at once. Here’s what they had to say:
It’s fine to get both at once ― in fact, it’s preferred
Dr. Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at UKHSA, told HuffPost UK that “There is no recommendation to leave a gap between getting the flu and COVID-19 vaccines and, where possible, we encourage those eligible to get them at the same time.“
Dr. Chris Streather, Medical Director, NHS London, agrees. He said, “The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that, for most people, it is fine to have the flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time.”
While he also thinks you should get both at once if you can, he points out you shouldn’t put off getting one or the other as soon as possible in favour of a two-in-one appointment.
“Where possible, we encourage you to get both vaccines in the same appointment to ensure you are protected against both viruses. If this is not possible, we encourage you to get each vaccine as soon as you can, rather than waiting to get both at the same time,” Streather said.
How do we know it’s safe?
Some vaccine combos can briefly create mild to moderate side effects, so the question does make sense.
Luckily, an extensive study on this exact topic investigated the impact of giving 679 adult volunteers their second dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines alongside one of three different seasonal flu vaccines in the opposite arm.
A separate group was given a placebo injection instead of a flu jab, followed by a flu jab 21 days later.
The most commonly-reported side effects were pain at the injection site and fatigue.
They found no significant difference in these reactions for four of the six COVID-flu combinations, and there was only a tiny difference when two of the flu jabs were combined with COVID jab (mostly fatigue, headaches, and muscle aches). These were all recorded as being mild or moderate.
The immune response, which is the point of both the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, was the same whether they were given together, or alone. That suggests they’re equally effective, whether given on their own or together.
“The majority of reactions to the flu or COVID-19 vaccines, such as a sore arm or high temperature, are mild and last just a few days. In the rare event someone suffers an allergic reaction, they would need to wait until they are well again before taking up the other vaccine, likely a few days,” Dr. Mary Ramsay told HuffPost UK.
For the vast majority of us, though, getting both at once shouldn’t be a problem. And if, like me, you’re a bit rubbish with both appointments and needles, getting a one-and-done dual jab actually makes a lot of sense, right?