Is It Safe to Get Flu and COVID Vaccines at the Same Time? Reviewing the Evidence

No Safety Issues When Receiving Both Vaccines Together
Experts Actively Recommend Vaccination

From today (the 19th) until March 31 of next year, the government will launch a 'free vaccination program for all citizens during the winter season.' Accordingly, large-scale vaccinations for influenza and COVID-19 vaccines are underway.

Some citizens are concerned about whether it is safe to receive the influenza vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine simultaneously. Experts have confirmed the medical effectiveness of co-administration of the two vaccines and are actively recommending vaccination, especially since both influenza and COVID-19 are likely to spread this winter.

In 2021, health authorities in various countries did not recommend simultaneous administration of the COVID-19 vaccine and the influenza vaccine. Most countries adopted a plan to vaccinate with an interval of about two weeks.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is receiving the newly developed XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccine at the Jongno-gu Public Health Center in Seoul on the 19th, when winter vaccinations for the newly developed COVID-19 vaccine targeting recent variants began.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, this year is different. During the pandemic, most COVID-19 vaccines were new drugs approved after a clinical trial period of just over one year. Due to the limited clinical data, caution was necessary when administering the vaccines. But now, sufficient data has been accumulated confirming that it is safe to receive both vaccines simultaneously.

For example, a literature review reported in 2022 found no issues with immunity or safety when the influenza vaccine and COVID-19 vaccine were administered simultaneously, regardless of the type of vaccine or the age of the recipients.

Recently, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that among healthcare workers in the United States who received both the influenza vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine simultaneously, the incidence of adverse reactions was no different from that of receiving each vaccine alone, and the immune response levels were also similar.

Experts in Korea have reached similar conclusions. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 18th, Professor Song Jun-young of Korea University College of Medicine Guro Hospital stated at a recent Infectious Disease Prevention Management Academy that "there was no immune interference phenomenon when the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines were administered simultaneously, and safety was confirmed."

Meanwhile, according to the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccination promotion plan by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, free vaccinations for all citizens will be provided from today until March 31 of next year. The XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccine, developed to respond to the currently circulating XBB lineage COVID-19 variants, will be used.

The groups strongly recommended for vaccination are ▲ seniors aged 65 and older ▲ immunocompromised individuals aged 12 to 64 ▲ members of infection-vulnerable facilities (inpatients/residents and workers), i.e., high-risk groups. General citizens aged 12 to 64 who are not in high-risk groups may receive the vaccine if they wish.

This vaccination requires only one dose within the period, regardless of previous vaccination history.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.