September 11, 2023 – Israeli researchers say giving the COVID-19 vaccine similtaneously the flu shot provides almost the identical protection as giving the COVID-19 shot alone.
According to the study published in, individuals who received each vaccinations had only a rather lower antibody response than individuals who only received the COVID vaccine JAMA network opened. Additionally, individuals who received each vaccinations reported almost as many unwanted side effects as individuals who only received the COVID vaccine.
Coadministration of each vaccinations “was not associated with significantly lower immune response or increased adverse events compared to administration of the COVID-19 vaccine alone, supporting the coadministration of these vaccines,” the researchers concluded.
Healthcare employees at Sheba Medical Center in Israel received the Abbott four-strain influenza vaccine, the Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent COVID-19 booster, or each vaccines from September 2022 to January 2023. Participants who received each vaccines received one in each arm.
Researchers collected blood samples from antibody tests and online questionnaires from participants as much as 62 days after vaccination.
According to the study, antibodies to COVID were only 0.84 times lower in individuals who received each vaccinations than in individuals who only received the COVID vaccination. None of the study participants contracted COVID within the two months after receiving the vaccinations.
The incidence of self-reported reactions – corresponding to fever or fatigue – was 27.4% in individuals who received only the COVID vaccination, 27.6% in individuals who received each vaccinations and 12.7% in individuals who only received the flu vaccination received.
The researchers concluded that promoting each vaccinations concurrently was an “acceptable policy” because “adherence to a single clinic visit will certainly be greater than that achieved with two separate visits, particularly in more vulnerable populations.” like older people.
People within the United States may soon have to make a decision whether to receive each vaccinations at the identical time. The FDA approved the newest COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, meaning it could be available to the general public this week.
According to the CDCHowever, it is appropriate to receive each at the identical time a study found that responses increased by about 8 to 11% when each were administered concurrently.