Flu season is approaching and a new COVID-19 booster is available. Flu season happens from around November through April, depending on the year.
San Luis Obispo County's Public Health Officer, Dr. Penny Borenstein, recommends people get both shots at the same time to minimize their risk of catching either virus.
“It's perfectly okay to get both your flu shot and the bivalent booster at the same time. They have similar side effects. They'd be given in separate arms, so you might have soreness in both arms for a day or two, but there is no reason that you can't get both of them together,” she said.
The bivalent booster targets the current omicron variants as well as the older COVID-19 virus.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden said the COVID-19 pandemic is over, but Dr. Borenstein wants people to remember that while the virus is normalizing, people are still getting sick.
"I'm aware that the president has said that the pandemic is over. I think what's most important for the public is to know that there is still quite a bit of COVID virus circulating that is likely to go on for some time, possibly for years,” she explained.
People who are also interested in obtaining the Mpox vaccine are told to space out their vaccines.
“If someone is at high risk for monkeypox, especially in young men, they are recommended to wait four weeks between their COVID dose and their monkeypox dose because young men have a slightly higher chance of having myocarditis, heart inflammation, from either one of those vaccines,” Dr. Borenstein said.
