The COVID-19 vaccine signaled the beginning of the end of a pandemic. However, until you are fully vaccinated and have probably gotten a booster jab, you might not be out in the clear yet. With the flu season around the corner and some of us concentrating more on the COVID-19 vaccine, doctors are getting many questions about it. The flu season usually starts from October to May and the best time to get vaccinated is from early September towards the end of October. But what about the COVID-19 vaccine? Should you go for the flu vaccine if you haven’t gotten the jab or both the doses? If you already have been fully vaccinated, is there any need for a flu vaccine?
Flu Vaccine and the COVID-19 Vaccine
One thing is for sure, getting vaccinated for COVID-19 is critical. This isn’t the time to get cozy and ignore the vaccine. If you haven’t been vaccinated for COVID, wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands regularly.
If you have been vaccinated against COVID-19, getting the flu vaccine is paramount. You don’t need to get worried about the symptoms that come so close to those of COVID, yet you are fully vaccinated. According to the CDC, there is no effect of co-administering the COVID-19 vaccine and the flu vaccine. You can even get both the jabs on the same day. Clinicians, however, are concerned about this as there is not so much known about COVID-19 and the vaccine. The virus has only been existent for almost two years and the vaccine less than one year.
One question the clinicians raised is, could the flu shot overcomplicate things with the COVID-19 jab? Could it make the after-effects even worse? WebMD asked Andrew T. Pavia, MD, the chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America this question. He said that while there is no hurry to get the flu shot in august, getting the flu shot this season is a good idea. According to him, the consequences of not getting the shot while COVID is still circulating are severe.
Get the shot
Vaccinated or not, getting the flu shot this year is critical. If you have to get the covid jab, plan on how you can get both doses before getting the flu shot. The lot clinicians don’t know about the COVID-19 vaccine when co-administered with the flu shot should stay that way. If you want a booster shot for COVID, go for it after getting the flu shot. If you don’t usually get the flu shot, don’t miss this year.
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