Route Site And Needle Size
Administer pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine intramuscularly or subcutaneously. Administer pneumococcal conjugate vaccine intramuscularly. The preferred site for infants and young children is the vastus lateralis muscle in the anterolateral thigh. The preferred injection site in older children and adults is the deltoid muscle. Use a needle length appropriate for the age and size of the person receiving the vaccine.
Myth: You Can Get The Flu From The Flu Shot
The flu shot is given with a needle that contains an inactive virus. The flu vaccine can also be given via a nasal spray, which contains a weakened live virus. “It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection,” the CDC explained.
Its important to know that neither the flu shot nor the spray will cause you to get the flu. However, the flu shot may cause some mild side effects, including soreness or redness in the area where the shot was given, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed. Some people might experience minor muscle aches, a mild fever, or a runny nose after getting a flu shot. The nasal spray, on the other hand, may cause a runny nose, wheezing, headache, vomiting, muscle aches, fever, a sore throat, or a cough, according to the CDC. These side effects are usually short-lived and mild.
Three Shots At Once What About Four
The CDC doesn’t place limits on the number of vaccinations you can get at the same time as a COVID-19 vaccine dose. So you can get the flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine on the same day, or you can get a COVID-19 shot, a flu shot and any other vaccine such as measles, pneumonia or shingles during the same visit.
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If you’re due for a shot that’s not time-sensitive the way the COVID-19 and influenza shots are, Mishori says she sometimes recommends that patients space them out, especially if the other vaccine is known for its side effects, like the shingles vaccine is.
“I tell my patients, You don’t want to get the shingles and COVID vaccine at the same time because you’re going to feel really, really miserable, she says. Shingles vaccine side effects may include fatigue, headache, muscle pain and nausea.
However, Mishori says convenience is a big consideration. I’ll ask, How disruptive is it going to be for your life? Can you get time off if you work to come back in? If not, go ahead and get it today.’
Michelle Crouch is a contributing writer who has covered health and personal finance for some of the nation’s top consumer publications. Her work has appeared in Reader’s Digest, Real Simple, Prevention, The Washington Post and The New York Times.
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Myth: You Dont Need The Flu Shot Every Year
While you might assume that the flu shot is the same each and every year, this isnt true. Since flu strains are constantly changing, vaccines need to be reviewed and updated annually. Last years flu vaccine was designed to protect you against last years virus, but it wont be completely effective this current flu season.
The CDC recommends a flu vaccine every flu season for another reason: Your protection from the flu vaccine declines over time, so an annual vaccine offers you the best protection. So when should you schedule your flu shot? Harvard Medical School recommends getting your flu shot early on in the flu season, starting in October. If you forget or are unable to get the flu shot that early, you can still get the vaccine through January and get the protection you need. Nevertheless, getting the flu shot in the fall allows the vaccine time to kick in and protect you throughout the duration of flu season.
What This Means For You
As flu season approaches, the CDC is advising people to get their flu shot by the end of October. If you have not yet received all your initial COVID vaccine dose or doses, or if you are eligible for a booster dose, its safe to get both vaccines on the same day.
The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.
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Pneumonia Vaccine And Flu Vaccine
You can administer either pneumonia vaccine and the flu shot during the same visit, Dr. Horovitz says.
In general, the CDC recommends pneumonia vaccines for young kids, older adults, and certain at-risk people. Pneumovax protects against 23 common types of pneumococcus, and Prevnar protects against 13 types.
Influenza And Pneumonia Combination Not To Be Taken Lightly
Millions of Americans will become infected with the influenza virus this year. For most, the illness will simply mean a week or two of being under the weather, but for others it may become something much worse.
Fighting the flu can require all a persons immune system has to offer, often weakening the body and making the already ill individual more susceptible to acquiring other infections. Pneumonia is the most common complication of the flu and perhaps one of the most serious. According to the American Lung Association , pneumonia and influenza together rank as the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. Of the two infections, pneumonia consistently accounts for the overwhelming majority of deaths, the ALA said.
The flu affects the whole body, said Joshua Ordway, MD, with Franklin Family Practice. As a result, the whole body shifts its energy toward fighting off the infection, which means it is taking soldiers away from the battlefield that could be fighting off other illnesses including bacterial infections such as pneumonia.
Influenza never turns into pneumonia, but predisposes a person to developing the illness. Knowing the symptoms of both influenza and pneumonia are important, but can be difficult since they often share the same signs. Distinguishing symptoms can include the type of cough, degree of body temperature, and longevity of illness.
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How Long Does A Pneumonia Shot Last
Streptococcus pneumoniaevaccinepneumoniaStreptococcus pneumoniae
- Younger than 2 years old: four shots
- 65 years old or older: two shots, which will last you the rest of your life
- Between 2 and 64 years old: between one and three shots if you have certain immune system disorders or if youre a smoker
Safety Measures For Getting The Flu Jab And/or Pneumococcal Vaccination
Your GP and doctors assistants will ensure that everyone can maintain physical distance during the flu vaccination clinic. They will also ask whether people have symptoms that could indicate COVID-19. If someone has possible COVID-19 symptoms, they can get the flu jab and/or pneumococcal vaccination at a later time. It is possible that you will have to get the flu jab and/or pneumococcal vaccination at a different location, for example in a sports hall. Only the care provider who gives you the injection will approach within 1.5 metres. For that reason, the person vaccinating you will wear a surgical mask that covers the mouth and nose.
You can get the flu jab safely by following the coronavirus measures.
If you had the flu jab and/or pneumococcal vaccination first, then you should wait at least 1 week before getting the COVID-19 vaccination. If you got the COVID-19 vaccination first, then you should wait at least 2 weeks before getting the flu jab and/or pneumococcal vaccination. This waiting period is in case you experience any side-effects.
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Doctors Support The Change
Richard Watkins, MD, an infectious disease physician and a professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, tells Verywell that there was never any compelling evidence for the previous recommendation, adding, I am glad it has been changed.
Watkins says that the move may help more children get vaccinated, noting the convenience factor. Under the updated guidance, families only have to make one trip to get vaccinated instead of several under the previous recommendations, he says.
John Schreiber, MD, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, tells Verywell that the changed guidance seems like a reasonable thing to do.
Schreiber anticipates that some parents may still be wary to give their children other vaccines at the same time as the COVID-19 vaccine, but say that new recommendations are sound.
I dont have any concerns with this, Schreiber says. But, he adds, the CDC and AAP will monitor children to see what happens next. If it turns out that children are complaining about more side effects after getting vaccinated, Im sure the recommendations can be modified.”
The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.
It’s Also Ok To Space Them Out
If you are concerned about side effects from two shots at once, clinicians say it’s perfectly fine to space out your COVID-19 booster and other vaccines. Just remember that a delay increases the risk that you will get sick before you’re protected and experts say that catching either COVID-19 or the flu will be far worse than any potential risk in increased side effects. The CDC recommends that everyone age 6 months and older get a flu shot by the end of October.
Those age 65 or older should request either the high-dose flu shot or the adjuvanted flu vaccine, the CDC says both produce a stronger immune response and more protection for older adults.
After you get the flu vaccine, it will take 10 to 14 before you’re fully protected. This year’s flu vaccine protects against two new influenza strains in addition to last year’s, and it takes time for your body to make new antibodies.
On the other hand, it will take only two to three days for the COVID-19 booster to kick up your immunity, experts say, because your body is already primed from your vaccines earlier this year.
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Shingles Vaccine And Pneumonia Vaccine
Dr. Horovitz isnt a fan of combining a shingles shot with any other type of vaccine. Ten percent of people will be really sick from a shingles shot, and their arm will really hurt, so I dont like to layer shingles vaccines, he says.
Shingles, a painful rash caused by a reactivation of the chicken pox virus, is preventable. The CDC recommends that Everyone over 50 get two doses of the shingles vaccine.
What Side Effects Should I Look Out For
Side effects vary from vaccine to vaccine, according to Privor-Dumm.
According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services website Vaccine.org, common issues include:
- Soreness at the injection site
- A low-grade fever
- Muscle aches
- Fatigue
In very rare cases, you may be allergic to the ingredients in a vaccine or have another severe reaction. If you feel sick in any way after receiving a shot, call your doctor, Privor-Dumm says.
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Interchangeability Of Combination Vaccines From Different Manufacturers
Licensure of a vaccine by FDA does not necessarily indicate that the vaccine is interchangeable with products from other manufacturers. Such data are ascertained and interpreted more readily for diseases with known correlates of protective immunity . For diseases without such surrogate laboratory markers, prelicensure field vaccine efficacy trials or postlicensure surveillance generally are required to determine protection . ACIP prefers that doses of vaccine in a series come from the same manufacturer however, if this is not possible or if the manufacturer of doses given previously is unknown, providers should administer the vaccine that they have available.
Vaccination Helps Prevent Pneumonia
Pneumonia results in about 135,000 Canadian emergency hospital visits each year,* according to Torontos Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends everyone over 65 get a pneumonia shot, which can help prevent bacterial pneumonia, the most common type.* Thats especially important during a pandemic to reduce cases of both pneumonia and flu, which could strain the healthcare system and jeopardize care for anyone with a serious respiratory illness.
The pneumonia vaccine that protects against 23 strains of pneumococcal bacteria is recommended for older adults,* advises NACI and HealthLink BC. A second pneumonia vaccine that protects against 13 different strains* is also available for older adults at high risk of infection.
Talk to your doctor about which flu and pneumonia vaccines are right for you.
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Is The Flu Shot Safe For People Who Are Pregnant
Pregnant people are more at risk of severe complications from both influenza and COVID and weve seen reports of more severe disease in pregnant people. So if theres one thing that pregnant people can do to both safeguard their own health as well as the health of their newborn baby, it is to be vaccinated against both of these quite serious respiratory viruses.
The vaccine is safe in pregnancy. Particularly with influenza, if a person has been immunized, the likelihood of their newborn baby getting influenza in the first six months of life is reduced. And of course influenza in a young infant can be a very serious illness as well.
Vaccination is one of the most important steps along with public health measures that were really becoming used to such as hand washing or using hand hygiene, masking when its appropriate, and avoiding large crowds. But vaccination remains a hallmark of protection against influenza.
As the flu season approaches, it is really vital that we protect both ourselves, our patients, our families, and our community from influenza as well as COVID. The best way to do that is to make sure that youve had your vaccine and encourage vaccination in others.
Combination Vaccines And Fda Licensure
Only combination vaccines licensed by FDA should be used . Vaccination providers should not combine separate vaccines into the same syringe to administer together unless mixing is indicated for the patients age and is explicitly specified on the FDA-approved product label inserts. Only 2 combination vaccines, contain separate antigen components for which FDA approves mixing by the user. The safety, immunogenicity, and effectiveness of unlicensed combinations are unknown.
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How Does The Pneumonia Vaccine Work
There are currently two vaccines administered in the United States:
Myth: Natural Immunity Is Better Than Vaccination
This is one of those myths that contains a grain of truth, but a lot of people are jumping on that one grain of truth and thus completely missing the point. Yes, certain papers, including one in Nature and another one in Lancet Microbe, have noted that natural immunity to the flu appears to be more robust and longer-lasting than vaccine-induced immunity. But if the goal is to avoid infection, then natural immunity utterly fails to meet that goal, because it requires infection before it can be achieved. Remember, immunity doesnt really mean anything to a corpse.
Also, influenza isnt like chickenpox or measles, where you get it one time and youre protected forever. Flu viruses are constantly mutating , which lets them evade both natural and vaccine-induced immunity. The strain you got last year probably wasnt the same as this years dominant strain, so natural immunity does nothing except protect against that rare possibility you might one day encounter the exact same flu strain. So on a granular level, yes, getting sick with the A/Hawaii/70/2019 pdm09-like virus protects you against that virus for longer than a vaccine would. But if next years dominant strain is the B/Washington/02/2019 -like virus, then youd have to also get sick with that virus in order to be fully protected against getting sick with that virus, and so on and so forth until the end of time.
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Unknown Or Uncertain Vaccination Status
Vaccination providers frequently encounter persons who do not have adequate documentation of vaccinations. With the exception of influenza vaccine and PPSV23, providers should only accept written, dated records as evidence of vaccination self-reported doses of influenza vaccine and PPSV23 are acceptable . The rationale for acceptance for influenza vaccine is that the time period of recall is one year or less, making it very likely that correct recall will occur. The rationale for acceptance for PPSV23 is high frequency of vaccination leads to an increased rate of local reactions due to the reactogenicity of this vaccine. Although vaccinations should not be postponed if records cannot be found, an attempt to locate missing records should be made by contacting previous health care providers, reviewing state or local IISs, and searching for a personally held record. If records cannot be located within a reasonable time, these persons should be considered susceptible and started on the age-appropriate vaccination schedule. Serologic testing for immunity is an alternative to vaccination for certain antigens . However, commercial serologic testing might not always be sufficiently sensitive or standardized for detection of vaccine-induced immunity , and research laboratory testing might not be readily available.
Based on expert opinion.
TABLE 3-1. Recommended and minimum ages and intervals between vaccine doses,,,