Buzz
At first, the CDC urged caution when the COVID vaccines were newly released, recommending a two-week gap between receiving any other vaccines, such as the flu shot. But that guidance has changed. You can now get your flu and COVID vaccines during the same visit—though it might not be best to have them in the same arm.
The CDC advises using separate arms if you're getting both a COVID vaccine and a high-dose or adjuvanted flu shot. These types of vaccines tend to cause more reactions, such as arm soreness, redness, or swelling at the injection site. You might even experience swollen lymph nodes in the same armpit. Knowing which vaccine caused an adverse reaction, especially if you need medical help or report it to the vaccine adverse event reporting system, can be useful.
However, you're not strictly prohibited from getting both shots in the same arm. In fact, most flu shots aren’t the high-dose or adjuvanted variety, which are typically recommended for individuals over age 65. For most people, it’s perfectly fine to get two shots in one visit, but it's always a good idea to check with your healthcare provider, as some vaccines, like the monkeypox vaccine, have specific guidelines. For example, if you've been exposed to monkeypox, don't wait to get vaccinated, even though spacing between doses is usually recommended.
Usually, when you're receiving two vaccines, healthcare providers tend to assume that you'd prefer each one in a different arm. Whenever my kids have had multiple vaccines, the nurses usually handle it by giving both shots at once—one in each arm (or leg, for infants). Personally, whenever I’ve gone to the pharmacy for more than one shot, they’ve done one in each arm too. For example, that’s how I got my travel-related typhoid and hepatitis A vaccines a few years ago.
In the end, you get to choose where and when to get your shots. Your immune system will likely respond just as effectively whether you opt for one arm or two. The real question is whether you'd rather deal with the discomfort of two slightly sore arms or the possibility of one intensely sore arm. If you want to avoid this dilemma entirely, you can simply schedule your flu and COVID shots on separate days, which is quite feasible if you're getting them at a local pharmacy.
