# When should I get my next Covid Vaccination? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [September 17, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285 "2023-09-17T23:41:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/222 "2026-03-21T16:13:38Z")
> [@teelabrown](#): > > We both got notifications from CVS Mine arrived just now. Shame it wasn’t earlier today; I’d walked past CVS twice already by then. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/223 "2026-04-24T16:10:52Z")
I had a message from my GP last week with a link to book my “spring Covid vax”. Went in yesterday, and they offered me the flu as well. This is because I am over 75 and considered vulnerable. I guess I am lucky, as I have very little reaction to either. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/224 "2026-04-24T16:13:21Z")
Interesting on “spring vaccination”. They release a new one about once a year and I get it then. As an asthmatic, I’m diligent about flu shots as well. I had flu once, when the kids were young (son brought it home from preschool) and did not especially enjoy it - and that was even after having the vaccination that year. I think there were a lot of breakthrough cases that year - it’s always a guessing game anyway. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/225 "2026-04-24T16:33:43Z")
I always got my flu shot in the Fall and now get Covid at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/226 "2026-04-24T20:54:46Z")
Sounds like the new normal is flu every fall & COVID 2x year: spring & fall. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/227 "2026-04-24T20:56:37Z")
The flu shot doesn’t last any longer than the covid shot, maybe less. If you are getting a covid shot twice a year, ask this doctor if it makes sense to get a second flu shot, too. Although, i guess flu is more reliably prevalent in the winter, whereas covid seems to have both a summer and a winter surge, especially in warm areas. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/228 "2026-04-24T21:11:31Z")
I _suspect_ it’s more a matter of mutation rate. COVID still changes pretty quickly compared to flu. And about the development timeline of revised vax versions. Our moronic government aside, mRNA tech used in COVID vaxes is far faster & more responsive than the comparatively primitive tech still used to refine then produce flu vax. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/229 "2026-04-24T21:38:11Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Sounds like the new normal is flu every fall & COVID 2x year: spring & fall. I haven’t heard of anyone getting Covid shots twice a year so I looked it up. It’s only recommended for 65 and older. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/230 "2026-04-24T21:41:38Z")
Which is everyone I know. Including me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/231 "2026-04-24T21:55:52Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I haven’t heard of anyone getting Covid shots twice a year so I looked it up. It’s only recommended for 65 and older. 75 in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/232 "2026-04-24T22:34:35Z")
Also for people under the age who are at higher risk. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/233 "2026-04-25T19:02:30Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > mRNA tech used in COVID vaxes is far faster & more responsive than the comparatively primitive tech still used to refine then produce flu vax. There’s an [mRNA flu vax](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2416779), and a [combined flu & covid vax](https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/04/europe-not-us-first-to-authorize-modernas-combo-mrna-flu-covid-vaccine/), that have been developed and tested and are basically being held up by the anti-vax folks in the FDA. And huh, i see that the combined vax, developed and mostly tested in the US by Moderna, was just approved for use in Europe. Moderna has an mRNA flu-only vaccine that’s also chilling in obscurity because the US is now run by anti-vaxxers. I should probably ask my doctor if i need another set of vaccines. I’m not 65, but my husband is immune compromised. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/234 "2026-04-25T19:06:17Z")
I got the most recent booster, and it gave me flu-like symptoms for half a day, so if you sometimes react like that, dont get it the day before something important for you to do. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/235 "2026-09-28T06:19:05Z")
Got my booster today. 6 yr old granddaughter went with to watch. Nurse explained and showed everything​😀 The antiseptic alcohol wipe, the small amount of the vaccine in the syringe. Alas, no dinosaurs bandage. Because I (age 76) didn’t cry; we both got ice cream after​😁 She has had shots before but seeing grampa get one was new. Also had my flu shot the day before. Wife and I have an upcoming trip back to the mainland from Hawaii. Can’t trust those mainlanders with all the diseases running around. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/236 "2026-09-28T08:48:18Z")
I got the Nexspike booster last Wednesday. I got that one last spring, too. I have never had a reaction to any of the covid vaccines. Until now. Wednesday night I had terrible chills. My whole body was shaking. I had a miserable night and felt like shit Thursday. I did have plans that day which I couldn’t cancel but it was having lunch on a patio on a beautiful day so just sitting for a few hours was manageable. But I guess from now on I’ll have to plan to stay home just in case. I sure hope that never happens again, though. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/237 "2026-09-28T12:48:52Z")
I don’t plan to stay home, but i always plan to not have anything important or difficult i need to do the next day. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/238 "2026-09-28T20:46:03Z")
I got my **[mNEXSPIKE® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) by Moderna](https://products.modernatx.com/mnexspike)** at CVS a couple hours ago. So far so good; not even arm stiffness or soreness. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/239 "2026-09-29T20:29:24Z")
24 hours later no discernable arm soreness and no symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2026, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/240 "2026-09-29T23:47:34Z")
I got the flu shot and Pfizer’s COVID shot this morning. Now, about 10 hours later, all I have is mild soreness in the shoulder, and that’s actually an improvement over the soreness from a few hours ago. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2026, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285/241 "2026-09-30T02:54:30Z")
I got flu (standard trivalent) and COVID (Comirnaty) in the same arm back in mid-September a few days before the latter was even technically available from Kaiser, as the injection clinic I frequent randomly got a supply in early. Maybe 72 hours of a little itchy swelling at the injection site. That’s it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-i-get-my-next-covid-vaccination/990285.md?page=13)