Doctors have urged older adults to get three different vaccinations this fall, calling the weak links to a higher risk of stroke “small.”
The advisory follows a Food and Drug Administration analysis released this week that found a slightly increased risk of stroke among people over 85 who receive the new Covid-19 vaccine and the flu shot for seniors at the same time. received time.
This was the second analysis by health officials to show a possible link between strokes and seniors receiving the seasonal combination vaccines.
But heart health and infectious disease experts told DailyMail.com that the risk associated with vaccinating both flu and Covid and the new RSV vaccine at the same time is so low that people can still feel comfortable doing it all at once. sit.
If you want to be extra careful and don’t mind “two sore arms”, you can also stagger the vaccinations.
Infectious disease experts and cardiologists said the low risk between having a stroke and getting vaccinated against Covid and flu at the same time should not deter older adults from getting vaccinated against flu, Covid and RSV at the same time.
Dr. Lili Barouch (left), a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins University, told DailyMail.com: “The risk is small.” It is small. It won’t stop anyone from getting vaccinated.” Dr. Stuart Ray (right), an immunologist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said: “I think it’s reasonable to think about spreading it.”
For every 100,000 doses of covid and flu vaccines administered at the same time, there were about three strokes or stroke-like events, known as transient ischemic attacks, between August 31 and November 6 last year.
For comparison: In 2022, the Covid death rate among those over 85 was 1,224 per 100,000.
This will be the first year that adults age 60 and older will have access to a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus, which kills between 6,000 and 10,000 seniors each year.
To protect seniors, seniors will also receive three updated high-dose flu shots that contain three to four times the flu virus antigen.
The FDA analysis found a 20 to 35 percent increased risk of stroke among older adults who received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine along with the flu vaccine at the same visit, compared to seniors who received only the bivalent Covid shot received.
Dr. William Schaffner, a fellow in preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, studied the analysis in detail before its publication.
Dr Schaffner, a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine expert panel, told DailyMail.com: “The short answer is: No, it shouldn’t stop people from getting vaccinated.” [Covid and flu shots] done at the same time. I had Covid-19 and flu in the same arm at the same time.
“The data is very small and inconsistent in other databases – England, France and Israel have done similar retrospective studies and have not found similar risks.” This is probably a statistical fluke or a very, very small increased risk compared to the post-Covid stroke risk or flu.”
In absolute terms, there were 3.1 additional strokes per 100,000 doses after the Pfizer and flu shots and 3.3 strokes per 100,000 doses from the flu and Moderna shots.
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Dr. Lili Barouch, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins University, told DailyMail.com: “The risk is small.” It is small. I will not let this stop anyone from getting vaccinated.
“If people are worried about it spreading in a few weeks, that’s fine. People should receive all vaccinations. So if they can do it all at once, that’s great, but I won’t let that small risk stop them from getting vaccinated.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which issues nationwide vaccination recommendations for different age groups, has not taken a clear position on whether it’s best to get all three shots at once or spread out over several weeks.
When DailyMail.com reached out for comment, the CDC made the same recommendations posted on its website.
Dr. Barouch, who is also director of the sports cardiology program at Hopkins, said, “I personally plan to get them all at once, and I usually put them in the same arm so I don’t have two sore spots.”
Pfizer’s Covid booster and same-day flu shot ‘increase stroke risk’
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found the tentative link while searching vaccine injury databases after separate safety concerns were raised about Pfizer’s shot.
She added: “We don’t want to read too much into this small amount of information.”
More anxious adults may want to delay vaccination for a week or two, a method that has not been shown to affect the vaccines’ effectiveness.
According to the CDC, there is no recommended waiting period between the Covid and flu shots.
Dr. William Schaffner, a fellow in preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told DailyMail.com that a two-week interval is ideal.
For example, getting a flu and Covid shot on a Saturday and getting the RSV shot two Saturdays after that will provide the same protection as getting all three at the same time.
Whether an older adult receives the injections at the same time or over several weeks depends on discussions between them and their doctor.
Dr. Stuart Ray, an immunologist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said, “It’s prudent to talk to the health care provider about that person’s individual risk.” But I think it’s reasonable to think about its distribution.
“Some people have a higher risk of vascular events than others.” I think it also depends on whether that person is at high risk from a respiratory perspective. If he has chronic lung problems, an infection like RSV can cause serious illness.”
According to dr. Ray, someone who recently recovered from Covid, probably won’t need a vaccine for a while as they still have residual immunity after recovery. If a senior is often around children who can easily carry and transmit RSV, doctors may strongly recommend that they be vaccinated for added protection.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
