Vaccines for Covid and Flu

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Anchor lead: What is the proper schedule for flu vaccines? Elizabeth Tracey reports

As many people obtain the flu vaccine this year, some questions remain. Aaron Milstone, an infectious diseases expert at Johns Hopkins, answers a few of them.

Milstone: Do people need to get a second vaccine this year for influenza? And the only time that people get a second dose of the influenza vaccine is if it’s the first time they’ve ever received a vaccine so that’s usually in children when they’re getting their first dose, they would get a second dose during the same season. The other question we’ve gotten is will you be able to get the coronavirus, the Sars-CoV2 vaccine, when it becomes available if you’ve gotten the flu vaccine. And getting a flu vaccine will have no impact on your ability to get the Covid vaccine when it comes out.  :31

Milstone notes that there are different formulations of influenza vaccines that are suitable for different groups of people, such as the elderly, but your provider will know which is appropriate. He says the most important message is to get vaccinated, as promptly as possible. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.