Can I get the flu shot if I have had COVID? Here is what you need to know

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health agencies have focused on vaccinating people against COVID-19, health experts also stress that a vaccine should not be skipped. against the flu this year.

Flu cases fell to historic lows last year in the United States at the height of the pandemic, according to the CDC.

But with the reopening of schools and businesses and the loosening of restrictions on international travel, the flu could make a comeback alongside the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s what you need to know to get a flu shot if you’ve ever had or have COVID-19.

Can I get the flu shot if I have had COVID-19 before?

Individuals can “receive the flu shot if they had previously had COVID,” Dr. Sandra Adams, virologist and professor of biology at Montclair State University, told NJ Advance Media.

Dr Adams also added that catching COVID does not protect you against the flu because they are two separate viruses.

“The antibodies produced against COVID are specific to the virus that causes COVID,” she said. “They don’t offer any protection against the flu.”

But you can get COVID and the flu at the same time, and be susceptible to respiratory failure or pneumonia, if you don’t protect yourself in advance.

Can I get the flu shot while I have COVID?

Dr Adams told NJ Advance Media that “you should postpone the flu shot for at least 10 days after the initial positive test for COVID.”

Influenza and COVID-19 Stories:

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Can I get COVID and the flu at the same time?

Is it safe to get the flu shot and get the COVID shot at the same time?

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Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected]. Do you have any advice? Tell us at nj.com/tips.