Newroad wrote:...
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However, in addition to the matters noted earlier, one reason not to have two vaccines (or for that matter, any two medicines of unknown effect) together is if there is a positive or negative reaction, you don't know which one is causing it. ...
That's a good point. Thanks. I have never had a flu vaccination before so, apart from the other considerations mentioned in this thread, I find your additional point quite compelling so that if I do have a reaction I will at least have a better idea as to whether it was related to the flu vaccine and I can file away that data for future years' reference. Additionally my two Covid-19 vaccinations so far were AZ so I expect to get either a Pfizer or Moderna booster which would also be a new vaccine for me and there too I would quite like to get at least one data point to see how I respond to whatever mRNA vaccine I get on the assumption that repeat vaccinations might well be a thing for at least the next few years. Denying myself those two data points by getting both on the same day seems silly especially when I have just discovered that I can book a flu jab on the Boots web site next week.
My 6-months-after-2nd-dose eligibility for my C-19 booster starts in 25 days time so the logical thing for me to do would seem to be to pro-actively book a Flu jab for myself as soon as my schedule allows which would be a week tomorrow which then leaves me a clear 17 days even if I were to be able to get my C-19 booster on the very first day that I become eligible. My plan is hatched I think. Thanks again Newroad for that additional observation that I found particularly pertinent to my own decision making process, and had the side effect of prompting me to be more pro-active about getting a Flu jab. (I had always intended to chase down my C-19 booster at the earliest possible opportunity but was being a bit more laid back about a flu jab.)
Actually, on the booster I heard rumours reported in the news last week that both the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and Boris Johnson are in favour of reducing that 6-months-after-2nd-dose interval to 5 months. With the scientific and political stars seemingly thus aligned I wonder whether my timings above might get changed in the very near future by an announcement about a reduced interval. If that does happen next week I think I would swap things round, proactively try to get my C-19 booster shot ASAP and then if my GP hasn't contacted me book a Boots or other chemist appointment for my flu jab a couple of weeks later.
- Julian