File this one under good to know. It’s going to be especially handy if I’m right and we eventually move to an annual COVID vaccine to protect us from the mutation of the moment rather than running around like headless, planless chickens arbitrarily throwing boosters into people and hoping for the best.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), yes. There does not appear to be any indication of reduced effectiveness or an increased risk of side effects when both shots are administered in one visit.
In a statement, the CDC said it based the recommendation on multiple vaccine administration with other types of vaccines: “While limited data exist on giving COVID-19 vaccines with other vaccines, including flu vaccines, experience with giving other vaccines together has shown the way our bodies develop protection and possible side effects are generally similar whether vaccines are given alone or with other vaccines.”
A preprint study due to appear in The Lancet and conducted by the University of Bristol found that 97 percent of volunteers receiving a double-shot regimen would do so again in the future.
The CDC added that anyone with concerns about receiving both shots at once should speak with their doctor. In very rare cases, such as in children with immune disorders, simultaneous vaccination is not recommended, though that is usually for other types of vaccines, like PVC13 for pneumonia. Providers should use different injection sites when delivering both shots.
Turns out we know someone who has done the flu and COVID shots during the same visit. Not only that, poor guy got a 3rd vaccine that day too. Wonder where they stuck that last needle. He didn’t feel so hot afterwards, but obviously isn’t sure what did it. If he’s anything like me, I’m betting on the COVID shot.