What to know about flu shots and COVID boosters on Long Island

The fall weather brings flu season and concerns about a possible winter surge of COVID-19. Public health officials are urging people who are eligible to get both their annual flu shot and updated COVID-19 booster. Newsday spoke with Dr. Matthew Harris, medical director of Northwell Health’s vaccine program and a pediatric emergency medicine specialist about the vaccines. Here’s what you need to know.

Who should get a flu shot and why is it important to get one?

Annual flu shots are recommended for everyone six months of age and older, with some rare exceptions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccine is designed to protect against several influenza viruses that researchers believe will be most common in the upcoming flu season, the agency said.

The region could be facing the most severe flu season in several years as COVID-19 precautions such as isolation and masking are lifted. Harris said some hospitals are already seeing flu cases in their emergency rooms.

“For people who are at greatest risk — people who are immunocompromised, the elderly, people with asthma — the flu is a very significant public health threat,” he said. “The flu vaccine is typically very effective in minimizing their risk for hospitalization and death.”

It also is important to make sure children are vaccinated, he said, to both keep them safe and prevent them from spreading the virus to others.

The CDC has estimated that last season, between 8 million and 13 million people had flu-like illnesses, 82,000 to 170,000 were hospitalized due to the flu and 5,000 to 14,000 deaths were attributed to the flu. The actual number of illness is likely higher since the number only covers people who were tested, the CDC notes.

Flu numbers have declined the last two years because of COVID-19 precautions. For example, the 2018-19 flu year had 29 million cases, 380,000 flu-related hospitalizations and 28,000 flu deaths, according to CDC estimates.

When's the best time to get a flu shot?

The optimal time to get a flu shot is in October, at the start of the flu season, Harris said.

Who can get the new COVID-19 booster and why is it important to get one?

The FDA recommends that people get the latest COVID-19 booster — known as the bivalent booster — two months after either completing their primary COVID-19 vaccination series or receiving a previous booster shot.

The booster is designed to protect against both the original strains of the SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and some of the omicron subvariants that are currently responsible for new cases in the U.S.

“The prior boosters were less effective than desired and had little effect against omicron," Harris said. The new booster is specifically designed to combat the original strain and new subvariants.

While most cases are not currently resulting in severe illnesses or hospitalizations, health experts are concerned about any possible fall and winter surge in cases, which also could be impacted by the flu season.

Who's eligible for the new COVID booster?

The Moderna bivalent booster was authorized for people 18 years of age and older, and the Pfizer-BioNTech booster is authorized for people 12 and older.

There is currently no bivalent booster authorized for children under the age of 12.

When can I get the new booster if I recently tested positive for COVID-19?

The CDC says people who recently had COVID-19 can wait for three months from when their symptoms started before getting a vaccine or booster. People who did not have symptoms can start the three-month count from the time they tested positive.

Harris said there are some people who should not wait for three months after their infection to get a vaccine.

“You can wait three months, but if you are someone who’s at high risk, you just have to be 10 days from the onset of your illness,” said Harris. “Some people might say they are getting some transient immunity from natural infection and wait three months … that’s reasonable. If you had COVID-19 two weeks ago and you are a high-risk patient because you are immunocompromised, you do not have to wait.”

Can I get both a flu and booster shot at the same time?

Yes, according to federal officials and local health experts.

“There’s no clinical concerns with getting the two vaccines together,” said Harris, who said he recently received his flu vaccine and bivalent booster at the same time. “It is hard for people to take off time from work, time from school … it's a matter of personal convenience and public health benefits to get these done.”

Harris said some people experience temporary fever, headaches, chills and body aches after getting the COVID-19 vaccines or boosters. But they should not be impacted by getting the flu vaccine at the same time.

Is it safe for children 12 and up to get both the flu vaccine and COVID-19 booster at the same time?

“It’s totally OK,” said Harris, pointing out that infants often receive multiple vaccinations during pediatrician visits. “There’s nothing new or exotic about this. Getting more than one vaccine at a time is very much a standard of care in pediatrics.”

Should I get the flu shot and booster in the same arm?

The CDC suggests that different arms be used if possible when getting the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as other vaccines. That's because the agency notes the COVID-19 vaccine has been associated with pain, swelling and redness at the site of the injection.

If I don’t get them at the same time, do I have to wait between getting a COVID-19 vaccine or booster and a flu shot?

The CDC said there is no recommended waiting period between getting a COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccine.