Do you get Covid and Flu vaccines at the same time?

[Dan Murphy]

I do not. Even though the pharmacy says you can, I told the nurse I rather get them a few weeks apart and she agreed with me. In the unlikely event you have a reaction, seems like having them separate would make it easier to investigate what the issue was. I think the pharmacy suggests getting both together since they think people might not bother to return for the second one after having the first.

Everyone's system is probably different and never had a reaction to either of them (other than a sore arm), but some of my relatives feel ill for a day or two after getting them.

Same here for all of that. Last year I got RSV, flu and COVID shots, all several weeks apart. This year, another pneumonia shot, flu and COVID, all several weeks apart.

 

[bettertheangel]

I got both in the same arm at the same time this year and had no side effects or reactions.

 

[easyas123]

I have before, with no issues. I'm not getting the Covid shot this year, and already got my flu shot.

 

[sarahann77]

The pharmacy I go to wants them to be at least 5 days apart. Should there be any issues they want to know which one it is. I just got them - flue shot really didn't have a reaction, Covid just had the usual injection site soreness and redness.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I got the Covid shot and flu shot at the same time and in the same arm this year. It was the first year that I did it this way and I didn't have any reaction. I also followed the pharmacist's advice to move my arm a lot for the first few hours. That advice worked great. I didn't have any muscle soreness for the first time ever.

 

[BrianL]

I usually spread them out so I don't have to get a stick in both arms. I have a very easy and convenient way to do it through work though, so if I had to make a special trip, I might go ahead. Personally, I am not that worried about side-effects or interaction or anything.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think in large part this depends on how you normally react to each one. But I would consult with your doctor on if they think for you there's any increased risk of doing them both due to your prior shingles if you feel concerned about it. At the very least it's been several months assumedly from your shingles rather than a very recent occurrence.

For me I knew from my 2nd dose of the covid vaccine (which occurred in springtime) I would not in any way shape or form do both the flu vaccine and the covid vaccine together. This was because I reacted very negatively to the covid vaccine. When I had gotten the 3rd dose (booster) I did it more than a month after I had done my flu vaccine. I again reacted very negatively to the covid vaccine for that booster and have not gotten it again due to that.

I do not react negatively to the flu vaccine aside from my arm feeling heavy and having a mild soreness to it. The covid vaccine was so much worse there amongst other reactions. I continue to get the flu vaccine.

I know some of my in-laws have gotten both together but they've had the covid vaccine a ton of times by now.

 

[kanerf]

I get them both together. I hope at some point they come out with a combination so that you only need to get one injection.

 

[China Expat]

I did both. Just had a sore arm

 

[KPeterso]

I separate them. Got the Flu one a couple weeks ago and will get Covid next time. I like to know which one gives me a reaction if I am to have one.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I space mine out for two reasons, first is to not agitate my immunocompromised and autoimmune system any more than it already is and the second is to better match the seasonal patterns that appear to follow holiday gatherings, so I use holidays as benchmarks.

Flu usually really gets going during the December Holiday Season, it crests around New Years and skids to a sort of quiet sometime after Easter so for this reason I have been aiming at just before Thanksgiving to get us through April. We used to do it in October but everyone kept getting Flu type A in April and rolling the shot back a bit appears to have helped.

As for Covid, well this one seems to come on a bit earlier, probably because it is so much more contagious but at any rate it appears to sort of catch fire closer to Thanksgiving and then quiet down a bit around Valentines - St Paddy's. As a result, this one I do first and as close to Halloween as we can get.

This years Covid shot made everyone here sleepy so I'd go for a weekend where you can cozy up with movies if it happens. I guess it changes every year just like the Flu shot. Flu is next on deck.

As an aside I also picked up a bunch of multi tests for Covid, Flu A & Flu B to have on hand to prevent anyone from needlessly visiting a medical facility during respiratory illness season and to save from missing work and all that, to me $10 a test is worth it. Last year we did the ihealth ones and this year we did the Binax but I saw different ones in stores like Wegmans and I htink Walgreens makes one too I think so it is good there are options now. I would have loved this when my kids were little, no unnecessary missed days at school.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Although I got them both at the same time, and so did DH, what I strongly recommend is that if you have a spouse or someone else that you live with, get them at separate times from each other. Both DH and I had reactions for a day or two. In his case he had severe soreness and swelling at the Covid site; I felt like I got hit by a truck and fever for a day or two (doctor thought it was the flu shot).