Do I need flu shots this season despite having completed the coronavirus vaccination? The answer is: Yes. You should get the flu shot even if you have been vaccinated against COVID-19 as one does not protect against the other illness.
You can even get both the shots at the same time, though this is still being debated.
Dr. Nafiz Koçak, infectious diseases and clinical microbiology expert at Istanbul's Medicana Çamlıca Hospital, said that since they were both inactive vaccines, it was possible to have both at the same time.
"(However), in order to determine better which side effect belongs to which shot after getting vaccinated, preferably they should be done with a 14-day interval," she told Demirören News Agency (DHA).
When COVID-19 vaccines were first rolling out in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended waiting 14 days between the shots and other immunizations as a precaution. But the agency has since revised its guidelines and says the wait is unnecessary.
The CDC and other health experts point to past experience showing that vaccines work as they should and any side effects are similar whether the shots are given separately or in the same visit.
"We have a history of vaccinating our kids with multiple vaccines," told flu specialist Richard Webby of Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital to The Associated Press (AP).
Once past the semantics, the important point is that you can get vaccinated for both, with or without an interval.
Staying up to date on all vaccinations will be especially important this year, experts say.
Since people were masked and staying home, last year's flu season barely registered. This year, it's unclear how intense the flu season will be with more places reopening.
"The worry is that if they both circulate at the same time, we're going to have this sort of 'twin-demic,'" Webby says. "The concern with that is that it's going to put extra strain on an already strained health care system."
The CDC recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone 6 months and older, and says ideally everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October. It takes 10 to 14 days for the flu vaccine to take full effect so if you wait until the flu begins circulating, your body may not have time to build up protection.
Vaccine options vary by age but include several types of shots or a nasal spray version.
One caution: COVID-19, colds and flu all share similar symptoms so if you feel ill, the CDC says to postpone a vaccination appointment until you're better to avoid getting others sick.
