It is safe to give two vaccines

SEVILLE (EFE).— A research team from the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS) demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of simultaneously administering vaccines once morest Covid-19 and flu, a practice that might also help alleviate the burden on the system. healthcare with the optimization of resources and action times.

“The effectiveness of administering influenza and Covid-19 vaccines together is comparable to when they are applied separately,” María Elisa Cordero, head of the Viral Infections and Immunodepressed Patients group at the Spanish institution, explained in a statement.

This discovery responds to the initial suspicion that there is a possible interference between the vaccines, which generated uncertainty regarding their effectiveness when used in combination. However, the study proves that this is not the case, that the answer is the same.

“Even for one type of flu virus, the response is somewhat better if the flu and Covid-19 vaccines are administered at the same time, but in different arms,” the researcher added.

However, the expert stressed, there are still aspects of the immune response that require more in-depth research, especially in populations with a diminished immune response, one of the main challenges to be resolved.

“One of the next aspects to investigate would be to analyze, in groups of patients with a lower response to the vaccine due to their underlying diseases, such as the immunosuppressed, if there are vaccination strategies that can improve the effectiveness of both vaccines. “We are considering future studies to explore vaccination strategies that can improve efficacy in these groups,” the researcher indicated.

“Administering both vaccines at the same time can make vaccination more efficient, saving time for both the patient and healthcare personnel,” Cordero said.

This strategy not only optimizes vaccination logistics, saving resources and time, but also maintains the same safety and effectiveness, which is essential to improve vaccine coverage and, therefore, public health, according to the researcher.

The study marks the step towards a more efficient and flexible vaccination strategy, capable of meeting current and future public health challenges, and highlights the importance of continued research to optimize our response to viral diseases.

This is a multicenter study led by the Institute of Bomedicine of Seville (IBiS) and the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital of Seville, with the participation of researchers from the University of Seville and the Los Bermejales Health Center and Adolfo García’s group. Sastre, from the “Icahn School of Medicine” at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

The work was financed by the Department of Economic Transformation, Industry, Knowledge and Universities of the Government of Andalusia, with Feder funds.