United States: As the peak season for respiratory viruses looms closer, health authorities are urging you to prepare — perhaps by baring just one arm for your inoculations?
When the time comes for your autumn boosters, crafted to align with the most prevalent strains of influenza and COVID-19, you will be faced with the decision of whether to receive them in a single arm or in both, according to thehill.com.
“Research has indeed explored administering both the COVID and flu vaccines together, whether into the same arm or separately,” remarked Dr Andrew Pekosz, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “Ultimately, it makes no real difference.”
Manar Abdalgani, an immunologist from Columbia University Irving Medical Center, noted a singular study suggesting potential advantages in administering both shots to one arm, though the evidence remains insufficient to yield a definitive recommendation, as reported by thehill.com.
Opting for one shot per arm could distribute discomfort, yet it would leave you with two aching arms instead of just one intensely sore arm. The choice of which outcome is preferable rests entirely with you.
While the arm of administration appears inconsequential, the timing of the vaccinations carries more weight, according to Pekosz.
“It’s ideal to receive both as close together as possible,” Pekosz advised, “as studies indicate that if an individual receives one and then delays the second by a few weeks, there’s a significant chance they won’t return to the pharmacy for the follow-up dose,” as per thehill.com.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assures that it is safe to receive both vaccines simultaneously. While a study did report a slight uptick — around 8 percent to 11 percent — in mild side effects such as fatigue, headache, and muscle soreness when both shots are administered together, the CDC underscored that these effects are transient and outweighed by the immense protective benefits of vaccination.