The Haute Autorité de Santé maintains its recommendation to combine the vaccination reminder campaign against Covid-19 with that of vaccination against influenza. Deadline, conditions: procedure to follow.
The 2022-2023 seasonal flu vaccination campaign starts October 18 for those at risk. The High Authority of Health has at the same time authorized new vaccines against Covid for booster doses. It maintains its recommendation to couple the vaccine booster campaign against Covid-19 with that of flu vaccinationand recalls that simultaneous injection of the two vaccines is possibleif performed at two separate injection sites.
Can we get vaccinated against Covid and the flu at the same time?
For the High Authority of Healththere is nothing to worry about: “Co-administration of flu and Covid-19 vaccines is safe.” The production of these two vaccines can thus be “concomitant” in order to avoid any additional delay in the administration of one or the other of these injections. “Both injections can be performed the same day, but at two separate vaccination sites – a vaccine in each arm” specifies the authority.
What is the interval between the two vaccines?
For people who could not receive the booster dose against Covid-19 (or a first or a second dose of this vaccine) and the anti-influenza injection simultaneously, the HAS specifies that there is no no deadline to meet between the two vaccinations. This rule also applies to any association between vaccines against Covid-19 and other vaccines vaccination schedule. For people aged over 60 and those under 60 at risk of developing a severe form of the disease who have not received their second booster dose (4th dose) recommended within the recommended timeframe (3 or 6 months depending on age and date of last injection or infection), HAS recommends do not delay their vaccination.
According to Directorate General of Healththe co-administration of vaccines against flu and against Covid-19 is possible in a Covid vaccination center and at person shows up with their flu vaccine. In this case, only professionals authorized to perform flu vaccination (doctor, midwife, pharmacist, private nurse) can perform this injection in a vaccination centre. Simultaneous vaccination is also possible in pharmacies for people targeted by the recommendations.
Are the two vaccines still as effective?
According to the data of the English test ComFluCOVrelayed by the HAS, the co-administration of vaccines against influenza and COVID-19 is generally well tolerated without diminishing vaccine-induced immune responses to either vaccine.
Can it be dangerous?
The Directorate General of Health reassures by recalling that “long-standing experience in vaccination shows that the co-administration of several vaccines is not not dangerous for the immune system“.
Source : Booster vaccine strategy against Covid-19. HAS. September 20, 2022