This year marks the first time you can get a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu shot at the same time. As the U.S. approaches flu season, which typically kicks off in October, some are wondering if it’s safe to get multiple vaccines in one visit.
“Getting both your COVID and flu vaccines at the same time is safe,” said Dr. Erin DeLaney, a professor in UAB’s Department of Family and Community Medicine.
In fact, doctors at UAB recommend it.
“Putting two vaccines together or administering two vaccines at the same time is not new,” said Dr. Molly Fleece, professor at UAB’s Division of Infectious Diseases.
For example, she said it’s not uncommon for patients to get their pneumococcal vaccine at the same time as their tetanus booster.
“[It] has been looked at for many years and has been safe,” Fleece said. “There’s nothing that makes the COVID or the flu vaccine different, where those two could not be administered at the same time or in the same visit.”
As of last week, Alabama had recorded only four positive influenza B cases across the state, according to Fleece.
“It is still very early, and we anticipate that these numbers will go up sometime this fall and certainly this winter,” she said.
Health professionals expect to see more cases of the flu this year because masking requirements have been relaxed and more people are getting together.
The CDC has also said it’s safe to get both vaccines at once, and doctors there have told NPR that the side effects are generally the same as when getting a single vaccine.
Meanwhile, Alabama could be seeing a decline in the COVID-19 surge that’s ravaged the state for weeks, according to data from the state department of health.
On Sunday, the state recorded 722 new coronavirus cases, the fewest recorded in a single day since early July. As of Monday, there were 1,947 hospitalizations, the fewest since Aug. 9.
News from WBHM will never be behind a paywall. Ever. We need your help to keep our coverage free for everyone. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. You can support our journalism for as little as $5. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.
Kids between the ages of 5-11 years old might be able to get vaccinated in the near future. Here’s why it would be a game-changer for the Gulf States, and how they’re preparing for the shot’s rollout.
Single-mother households represent about 60% of all Birmingham households with children, according to Mayor Randall Woodfin's office. The mothers involved in the program will receive $375 a month for a year.
Birmingham leaders officially opened the city's Real Time Crime Center Tuesday, a project intended to give the Birmingham Police Department new technological tools to help resolve crime more quickly.
The face of homeschooling is changing and diversifying. In just a year, the number of Black families has increased five-fold— and for more reasons than COVID-19. Several families told WBHM they see homeschooling as a way to protect their children from educational racism.
Wages have gone up as restaurants try to hold onto their staff amid a record number of people quitting their jobs in the U.S., especially in the South.
Christina Nance had been missing since Sept. 25, her family says. Video footage from that day shows her entering the van, which was in a police parking lot. Her body was found 12 days later.
