Fall is the time of year when health professionals recommend that you get the annual flu vaccine. Just like 2020, it’s very important that as many people as possible get the flu shot in order to help reduce the load that hospitals and clinics across the country are facing due to COVID-19 and the contagious Delta variant.

Plus in late September, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authorized booster shots for the Pfizer and Biotech version of the COVID-19 vaccine to those who meet certain criteria.

First, it has to be six months since an individual received their second vaccine in the series. Secondly, they have to be over the age of 65 or be over 50 and have pre-existing health conditions. Additionally, those who work in high-risk environments like healthcare, nursing homes, teachers, or retail workers also may get the third shot.

Since both are becoming available at the same time, it’s fair to wonder whether both shots can be given at the same time.

Health professionals say that not only is it okay for you to receive both shots at the same time, they actually recommend it. And this goes for whether you are getting the COVID-19 vaccine for the first time or receiving the booster shot.

“Get one in each arm,” Ranit Misori, M.D., of Georgetown University School of Medicine told the AARP. “It’s an efficient and effective way to make sure you’re protected.”

Experts are hopeful that 2021-22 is another mild flu season after last year saw fewer infections thanks to more people staying home and a robust vaccination campaign. But with more people in the office and at school, the flu is expected to be more widespread this year.

Last year, the CDC recommended not getting a different vaccine for 14 days before and after a COVID-19 vaccine, but the agency said that further research and testing showed the other vaccines do not interfere with the immune response brought on by the COVID-19 vaccine.

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