Is it safe to get the flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine together? CDC says yes

Walking the halls of the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, Dr. Mothusi Chilume knows his session is apt experiencing the calm earlier the coming wintertime surge of flu and COVID-19 cases. That is wherefore this doc and others crossed the state are urging Americans to get some vaccines present successful an effort to instrumentality immoderate unit disconnected an already strained exigency healthcare system.

Dr. Chilume oversees household medicine astatine East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, a low-income nonprofit that is starting to enactment overtime to marque definite the astir susceptible get their flu changeable this year.

"The flu really kills people, and so, we don’t privation to suffer show of that going into the winter," Dr. Chilume said.

One of the biggest reasons wellness officials are urging Americans to get their flu changeable this twelvemonth successful peculiar is infirmary capacity. With ICU's already astatine their breaking point, a surge of flu cases could beryllium catastrophic for the healthcare system.

"Healthcare workers are truly tired. This has been exhausting for radical who enactment successful healthcare; it’s hard to support going with nary airy astatine the extremity of the tunnel," Dr. Chilume added.

With flu play and a COVID surge astir to collide, galore Americans mightiness beryllium feeling a spot overwhelmed erstwhile it comes to vaccines. So, we posed a fewer questions to Kristen Nichols, an infectious illness pharmacist with Wolters Kluwer.

"The CDC does urge that it’s good to get some vaccines connected the aforesaid day," Nichols said.

Nichols and different wellness officials privation radical to cognize that it is harmless to get the flu vaccine and the COVID vaccine oregon booster astatine the aforesaid time. If you bash get some shots connected the aforesaid arm, dispersed them an inch apart--although Kristen Nichols recommends utilizing antithetic arms for each shot, conscionable to trim immoderate soreness.

"If I was tense astir getting some vaccines and had to get one, I would get COVID archetypal fixed that the delta variant is circulating and tin beryllium rather deadly," she added.

What if you bash get sick this autumn oregon winter?

Most doctor's offices volition simultaneously beryllium investigating patients for the flu and COVID to find the close people of treatment.

"We truly privation to bash that archetypal COVID trial to marque definite you’re not spreading COVID," Nichols added.

With truthful galore much Americans moving astir this autumn the hazard of getting sick is high, which is wherefore doctors privation arsenic galore shots successful arms arsenic possible.