COVID, Flu Shot Given Together Linked to Stroke Risk

A new study warns that getting the vaccine for COVID-19 at the same time as the flu shot may increase the risk of strokes caused by blood clots in the brains of seniors. The dangerous side effect appears to occur when both jabs are given simultaneously to those over the age of 85.

According to CNN, experts at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) noticed the red flag when analyzing data from Medicare claims. The new study follows on the heels of a previous report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with the FDA last January that said one of their vaccine safety monitoring studies, the Vaccine Safety Datalink, had noticed a possible risk of stroke after older adults received a dose of Pfizer’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine and a high-dose or adjuvanted flu shot on the same day. This triggered closer surveillance of the stroke risk by the agencies when both shots were given to seniors.

While the risk is small ─ about 3 strokes or transient ischemic attacks for every 100,000 doses given ─ the FDA study revealed that the serious side effect appeared to be triggered by the high-dose or adjuvanted flu shot that boosts the immune system to mount a stronger response to the shot.