New Flu and COVID Vaccines This Fall

I have received this question regularly so I thought I’d clarify it for anyone else: the new influenza vaccine does NOT include the COVID booster in it. They will be separate vaccines, and they are different types of vaccines. The COVID booster will still be mRNA based as the previous were and the influenza is either live attenuated or inactivated vaccine as it usually is every year. New guidelines from the CDC also reflect recent studies published that it no longer matters if you’re allergic to eggs or not. Even though the vaccines may contain egg products there is no convincing evidence that it will cause someone to have an allergic reaction, though this doesn’t apply to many people.

Will I be getting both? Absolutely and without any hesitation. I get my flu shot every year and I haven’t gotten the flu in over 10 years. The one time I didn’t get my flu shot I ended up getting the flu and was out of commission for a week. That’s not a coincidence. I have received every COVID booster rolled out and though I have had confirmed exposures numerous times I only ever contracted the omicron variant. This is also not a coincidence, the vaccines have been proven time and time again to be effective and conferring a small amount of protection and ensuring symptoms are less severe if you do get sick with COVID.

My recommendation is that everyone who can should get the vaccines to keep healthy heading into the flu season and with the current spike in COVID cases.