SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Now is the prime time to get your flu shot and new COVID-19 vaccines, according to the CDC.
The CDC along with the California Department of Public Health says it’s safe to get a flu shot and COVID vaccine at the same time. This comes as officials are concerned about the uptick of COVID cases in children with school back in session.
Age, once again, serves as a determining factor for which COVID vaccines to get. If a child is under the age of four, it is recommended they get the first two doses, what are often called primary doses. Those aged 5-11 qualify for the original (monovalent) booster.
Everyone 12 and up can get the new (bivalent) booster, though patients 12-17 can only get the Pfizer dose. If a patient is older than 18, they can receive Pfizer or Moderna.
The boosters target the highly contagious omicron sub-variants, BA. 4 and BA. 5.
"Barring any new variant curve balls, for a large majority of Americans, we are moving to a point where a single annual COVID shot should provide a high degree of protection against serious illness all year," said White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha.
Parker Steiger gets a flu shot every year. He even got the original third dose COVID booster, but another one? He's not sure.
“I don’t really have any questions. It just seems like it’s dying down so it’s just not something I’m as worried about as I was,” Steiger said.
Others are all for the one-and-done. It’s what attracted Isabella R. to CVS to book an appointment because they offer both.
“The COVID booster and flu shot [are] free of charge regardless of your insurance status, so it’s a really great way to make sure you can get access to your vaccines this year without having to worry about insurance, especially if you don’t have it,” said Isabella R.
That access is becoming limited at some CVS locations. We reached out to the store and they provided us with this information:
"Some CVS Pharmacy locations have administered all of the Moderna bivalent COVID-19 vaccine received from the federal government to date. We’re working with the government to acquire more Moderna doses and continue to offer Pfizer and limited Moderna appointments at CVS.com and via the CVS Pharmacy app. Appointments are updated as supply is received.
We have an ample supply of flu vaccine on hand and do not anticipate widespread shortages for the months when demand for the flu shot is at its peak."
The California Department of Public Health provided us with this statement on the rollout of the new COVID-19 vaccine booster:
"As of September 19, received: 2,833,900 updated booster doses, administered: 617,697 updated booster doses. Approximately 60% of those doses are Pfizer and 40% are Moderna; 63% of all doses have gone to people 50 years or older and 79% of doses have been given by a Pharmacy. It is recommended to get the flu shot and the COVID-19 booster at the same time, when possible."
Find where to get a flu shot near you HERE.