Simultaneous administration of mRNA COVID-19 bivalent booster and influenza vaccines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized use of mRNA COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccines on August 31, 2022. Currently, CDC's clinical guidance states that COVID-19 and other vaccines may be administered simultaneously. At time of authorization and recommendations, limited data existed describing simultaneous administration of COVID-19 bivalent booster and other vaccines. We describe simultaneous influenza and mRNA COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine administration between August 31-December 31, 2022, among persons aged >= 6 months in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) by COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine type, influenza vaccine type, age group, sex, and race and ethnicity. Of 2,301,876 persons who received a COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine, 737,992 (32.1%) received simultaneous influenza vaccine, majority were female (53.1%), aged >= 18 years (91.4%), and non-Hispanic White (55.7%). These findings can inform future VSD studies on simultaneous influenza and COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine safety and coverage, which may have implications for immunization service delivery.

Automated summary

The US FDA authorized the use of mRNA COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccines, and CDC's clinical guidance allows for simultaneous administration of COVID-19 and other vaccines. A study found that 32.1% of individuals who received a COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine also received a simultaneous influenza vaccine, which may impact the delivery of immunization services.