Covid, Flu and RSV vaccines

[BlueJk]

I’m looking for advice on spacing vaccines. I received the newest Covid vaccine on Sept 20. Is it best to space out the flu and RSV vaccines or receive them the same day? I am still in active surveillance but I know that my antibody production from previous Covid vaccines has not been great.

[Imua]

In Alberta, Canada both the Covid booster and flu vaccines can be administered at the same time - probably due more to convenience than anything else. Since the RSV vaccine is relatively new for seniors here,I understand there isn't enough evidence to suggest whether or not there should be a waiting period of a few weeks or a month between RSV and other vaccines. Therefore I will err on the side of caution and not have all three at the same time.

[lankisterguy Volunteer]

Hi BlueJk,

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There was a posting 1 month ago that you may want to read:

healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

yourlocalepidemiologist.sub...

SNIP (quote): " Can I get the vaccines (flu, RSV, and/or COVID-19) at once?

There is no combined shot (some companies are working on it, but will not be available for years). This means that, if you’re eligible, you will need three shots to protect against the three viruses this fall.

You can get them all at once. But it may not be ideal. It just depends on your situation and your comfort with unknown risks:

Benefits to getting all at once: Going to the doctor/pharmacy multiple times can be a pain for many people, including grandparents. Or some people may tend to forget to go. Getting all three at once may be the best option in this situation.

Benefits to staggering: The optimal timing of vaccines is different for all three viruses. Also, we don’t know the safety risks of getting all three simultaneously. It hasn’t been studied. In other words, there are unknown risks. This is what we do know:

COVID-19 and flu vaccines are safe together

Older adult RSV and flu vaccines are safe together"

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Len

[Cas61 in reply to lankisterguy]

I had the Covid and Flu vaccine together last year because my doctor said it would be fine, but was pretty sick for 24 hours. Normally I'm fine with the flu vaccine other than a sore arm. I won't get any together going forward. I do get sick with the Covid vaccine every time for a day.

[W00dfin]

my hematologist advised me to take the flu, COVID and RSV vaccines 4 weeks apart.

[Chocolatelover52]

I was told by the pharmacist and hematologist to space them out for at least 2 weeks.

I am in watch and wait too.

[lexie]

I decided to take separately and spacing 2 weeks apart as my doctor recommended. So glad I did because I had my first adverse reaction ever to the flu shot. If I had combined I would have no idea which vaccine was the culprit. Or if the effects would have been compounded by combining. Since RSV is so new I definitely want to know how I respond to that alone for comparison to the next time.

[MisfitK]

Here's the thing...and a big reason why I am a "one vax at a time" person. Whether or not there are combined risks to taking multiple vaxes at once, we know that our immune system needs time and energy to handle each shot in order to be protected for each illness/disease.

If you're going to be in public, out and about, interacting with folks after your vaxes, how much do you want your immune system working on getting you your protection and how much do you want it to be working on keeping you well around folks. The more vaxes at the same time, the more your immune system is focused on getting protection while not focusing on keeping you immediately well. Since my cancer diagnosis, I have preferred "babying" my immune system and not asking it for more than it can give me. Since I have to be around people almost all the time (the story of having kids around), I don't ever want my immune system having to be working on more than one thing extra at a time.

Now, that said - I can normally get my vaxes on my weekly grocery trips or my every 3 month CLL doc trips. So, it's not hard for me to delay each one and do them one at a time. If it were, I'd probably combo them all and then take 2 weeks in semi-private, so I'd remove being around folks everywhere while my immune system did its work.

[BlueJk in reply to MisfitK]

Thank you for your very insightful answer.

[Ovidess]

I had my new covid shot, and had a 21 hour illness the next day. I'm waiting a few weeks before the flu shot, as that also can throw me for a loop. As for the RSV, my NP told me it is a live vaccine, and therefore more risky for someone in my position (PV, now back on low dose Besremi). I don't know if I'll take it or not. The nurse reminded me that I may have had RSV many times when I thought I had a mere devil of a cold. It's a gamble either way, I guess.

[lexie in reply to Ovidess]

From August 2023 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK):

RSV vaccines are safe for people with cancer who are eligible to get the shot. The vaccines are non-live vaccines that contain a part of the RSV virus (called a protein). The vaccine does not contain a whole virus or a live virus. The RSV vaccine cannot cause an infection in people with a weakened immune system.

mskcc.org/news/what-to-know...

[BlueJk in reply to Ovidess]

Thank you for your answer but you NP was misinformed. RSV is not a live virus vaccine so it is appropriate for people with CLL

[neurodervish]

I agree with every answer above. My biggest reason for getting the vaccines separately is so that I can sleep on my side w/o having a sore arm. If both arms are sore, I'm outta luck.

[DoriZett]

At least a week between is what my onc suggested. I think two weeks would be better but there are so many vaccines to get: flu, COVID, RSV and I am due for Prevnar 20, I just did the week between so it wouldn't take forever to knock these out. I am just waiting on the Prevnar 20 this week - all the rest completed. The flu shot was the worst for me thus far, which has never been the case in the past. I was glad I did not get multiple vaccines at once, because I would have blamed "doubling up" as the reason for my reaction to the flu shot, instead of knowing the specific vaccine which gave me the reaction. Wishing you well as you navigate the "season" of vaccinations!

[Rovering_Rose]

For the last couple of years, I got the flu and covid shot together. With timing of vaccines, I would suggest to work with your and oncologist and see what is best for you. I saw my oncologist that I did not have to do the RSV vaccine because of my age (55) and low risk for it.

[BlueJk]

I had the Covid vaccine on Sept 20. I decided to get the RSV tomorrow since the virus is becoming prevalent and get my flu shot when I go to the blood cancer center on the 24th.