The COVID Booster and Flu Shot: Can You Get Both At Once? Doctors’ Advice for 2025-2026

Only about half of Americans get a yearly flu shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency also notes that adults with chronic health conditions face a higher risk of serious flu complications—and that in recent seasons, nine out of 10 people hospitalized with flu had at least one underlying condition. These trends concern many medical professionals—especially as COVID’s annual patterns remain a question mark and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is circulating again.

While the flu vaccine doesn’t completely prevent you from getting sick, CDC data show that last year’s shots were 63% to 78% effective in preventing flu-related hospitalizations among children and 41% to 55% effective among adults. And as new COVID variants continue to emerge, experts stress that staying up to date with your COVID vaccine is just as important.

So, as we move into the 2025–2026 flu season…can you tackle two—or even more—viruses with a single clinic visit? Here’s what some of the nation’s leading infectious disease experts told us.

Can you get multiple vaccines at once?

The technical term for getting multiple vaccines together is “vaccine co-administration,” though some doctors may refer to it as “layering” vaccines. Medical professionals say the answer to whether this is a good idea depends largely on your age and health status, the vaccines you’re considering, how urgent the need is to start building protection, and personal preferences.

As a general rule, there are very few vaccines that can’t be co-administered, says L.J Tan, MS, PhD, an infectious disease specialist and the chief policy and partnership officer at Immunize.org. However, Dr. Tan says, there are some vaccines that definitely don’t belong together—adding that when vaccines are co-administered, they should go in different anatomic sites (locations on the body). “It can be in the same arm if they are spaced an inch apart,” he says.

This allows your doctor or pharmacist to identify which vaccine caused a reaction, should one occur.

Here, medical pros and researchers list which vaccines can be given at the same time, and which can’t. (Note: While the following provides general suggestions, always consult with a licensed healthcare provider before making a decision specifically for you or your child.)

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Flu shot + COVID-19 shots

Can you get them at the same time? Yes

“We’re still kind of learning what the seasonal COVID pattern is going to be,” says Ryan Maves, MD, an infectious disease and critical care physician at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. About 97% of the country has COVID antibodies at this point, “so the question is: Is [the COVID vaccine] going to be like a flu shot every year? Is that going to be routine now? Probably.”

Dr. Maves adds that COVID variants continue to change more rapidly than the flu does, which makes staying current on vaccination crucial.

This year, public health guidance around COVID-19 vaccination has changed—leading to some confusion about who should get the shot. The FDA initially recommended vaccination for everyone ages 6 months and older. Later, emergency-use authorizations were withdrawn, and the vaccine was reserved for adults 65 and older and those at higher risk of complications. However, the CDC has since approved the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)’s recommendation that the vaccine be made available to everyone 6 months and older, based on shared decision-making between patients and their healthcare providers.

In response, leading medical organizations have stepped in to clarify recommendations. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) both recommend COVID vaccination for babies and toddlers ages 6 through 23 months, as well as for older children at higher risk. The AAP also supports vaccination for healthy children in this age range if parents choose to protect them from COVID-19. The AAFP continues to recommend annual updated COVID shots for all adults 19 and older.

Meanwhile, the CDC no longer specifically recommends vaccination during pregnancy—a change that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) disagrees with. ACOG continues to strongly advise that all pregnant and lactating women receive the COVID vaccine.

When COVID-19 vaccines were first rolling out in the United States, the CDC recommended waiting two weeks between the shots and other immunizations as a precaution, but the agency has changed course and now says you can do both at once.

“There were some concerns early on given the newness of the COVID-19 vaccines, but now we know that it is safe to get both at the same time,” says Mohammad Sobhanie, MD, an infectious disease expert at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, OH.

What about kids?

Now that COVID-19 vaccines are available for children as young as six months, kids can get the COVID-19 and flu shot in the same visit, Dr. Tan says. 

COVID-19 booster + flu + pneumonia

Can you get them all at the same time? Yes

If you are getting the latest dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and haven’t had your flu or pneumonia shots yet, you can get them all at the same time.

“Get the more reactive one in one arm (the COVID-19 shot) and the flu and pneumonia vaccines spaced an inch on the other arm,” Dr. Tan says. “Yes, both arms may hurt, but this is a small price to pay for protection against three deadly diseases,” he notes.

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COVID-19 booster + flu + RSV

Can you get them all at the same time? Yes

RSV is a respiratory infection that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms—but it can be serious in older adults and young children. “We worry a lot about RSV and little kids,” Dr. Maves says. “And we might still be seeing the aftershocks of [the pandemic],” with more children being exposed to RSV for the first time. 

The CDC currently recommends a single dose of the RSV vaccine for all adults ages 75 and older, as well as for adults ages 50 to 74 who are at higher risk of severe illness. To protect infants and some young children, the CDC advises pregnant women to receive Pfizer’s Abrysvo vaccine between weeks 32 and 36 of pregnancy, ideally during the fall and winter months. Babies can also be protected with a long-acting antibody injection (nirsevimab or clesrovimab) after birth, with nirsevimab additionally recommended for certain young children ages 8 to 19 months.

Dr. Maves says that if there is a lot of vaccine uptake among these high-risk groups, we may see a reduction in RSV-related hospitalizations and deaths. 

While more data are needed to gain a sense of what the RSV vaccine’s impact will be, Dr. Maves says there is evidence that getting the flu, COVID, and RSV shots together is safe. 

Flu shot + Hepatitis A vaccine

Can you get them at the same time? Yes

Other inactivated and/or live virus vaccines such as the flu shot can be given at the same time as the Hep-A vaccine. Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection that’s preventable by getting the hepatitis A vaccine.

The CDC recommends hepatitis A shots for children aged 12 to 23 months, children and adolescents ages 2 to 18 years who have not already received hepatitis A vaccines, and people at increased risk for hepatitis A or severe disease from hepatitis A infection.

Pregnant women at risk for hepatitis A or for severe outcome from hepatitis A infection should consider vaccination, the CDC states. Risk for hepatitis A increases with international travel, illicit drug use, and homelessness. Men who have sex with other men may also be at increased risk for hepatitis A.

Flu + pneumonia vaccines

Can you get them at the same time? Yes

Len Horovitz, MD, pulmonary (lung) specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, says you can administer either pneumonia vaccine (PCV13 or PPSV23) and the flu shot during the same visit.

In general, the CDC recommends pneumonia vaccines for young kids, older adults, and certain at-risk people. Pneumovax (PPSV23) protects against 23 common types of pneumococcus, and Prevnar (PCV13) protects against 13 types.

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Shingles shot + pneumonia (or any other vaccine)

Can you get them at the same time? Not advisable.

Shingles, a painful rash caused by a reactivation of the chickenpox virus, is preventable. The CDC recommends that anyone over 50 should receive two doses of the shingles vaccine.

Dr. Horovitz isn’t a fan of combining a shingles shot with any other type of vaccine. “Ten percent of people will be really sick from a shingles shot, and their arm will really hurt, so I don’t like to layer shingles vaccines,” he says.

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PCV-13 + Meningococcal conjugate vaccine

Can you get them at the same time? No

You can’t give the PCV13 pneumonia shot with a meningococcal conjugate vaccine, as they may interfere with your body’s immunologic response to PCV13, the CDC warns. There are two meningitis vaccines available in the United States: Meningococcal conjugate or MenACWY vaccines. There’s also a vaccine against meningitis B. All 11- and 12-year-olds should get a MenACWY vaccine, with a booster dose at age 16.

Both pneumonia vaccines: PCV13 + PPSV23

Can you get them at the same time? No

Some people should get both pneumonia shots for protection against all strains of this lung infection, but not during the same visit, the CDC cautions.

On mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines

This is different from getting multiple vaccines in the same sitting.

“If you are in a location and can get your third shot or COVID-19 booster, and the type you received for your first two shots in the series is not available, it’s reasonable to receive the other type as a booster,” Dr. Sobhanie says. This only applies to the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

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The bottom line

Dr. Horovitz suggests you keep copious records of all the vaccines you receive, along with dates, to make sure you stay on top of your medical records and ahead of these preventable diseases.

Get The Healthy @Reader’s Digest newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:

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