A Game Plan for Timing Your Flu, Covid and RSV Shots This Fall

livemint.com:

Respiratory virus season is around the corner. With vaccines available for Covid-19, flu and, for some people, RSV, when should you get them? Doctors generally suggest getting your flu and Covid shots before the end of October, and say it’s OK to get both those shots at the same time. The most important thing, doctors say, is to get vaccinated.

If you’re in a doctor’s office or a drugstore and can get your shots, it usually makes sense to do it. That said, there are some considerations that might help you maximize your protection. Given we’ve had a summer bump in Covid cases, you should prioritize getting that booster as soon as you can, unless you’ve recently been infected.

“If your level of antibodies is quite high, the booster does very little good," says John Wherry, director of the Institute for Immunology at the University of Pennsylvania. “You’re kind of wasting your shot." The flu, on the other hand, usually doesn’t start picking up until later in the fall, so you probably have a little more time. Optimal protection from a vaccine typically begins one to two weeks after getting a shot, say doctors and immunologists.

Antibodies from the Covid-19 and flu vaccines remain high for about four to six months. The flu vaccine and Covid-19 booster are generally recommended for everyone six months and older. The new respiratory syncytial virus vaccines are authorized for seniors and some pregnant women, with a new drug also authorized to protect infants.

Covid Sooner rather than later is good for your Covid-19 shot, especially if you are a senior or immunocompromised. The newly approved booster targets the dominant strains now circulating. Covid-19 test positivity rates have hovered around 14% for the past month, according