The September Covid Jab

[Jo6100]

We've just been invited to attend our GP's surgery for flu jabs on October 1st.  We are also told that we can have the Covid jab at the same time "if stocks are available".  We'll go, of course, but do wonder if it's wise to have both injections at the same time.  Might there be reactions?   I suppose they wouldn't be offering both if they didn't think it was safe to do so.

It's how autumn boosters were done last year.
I have to have them on separate occasions because I can have injections only in 1 arm.

You can have them in the same arm at the same time as long as they’re an inch or so apart

Jo

[Gadget]

I thought the same, Jo.

Incidentally. We didn't have our boosters with our flu jabs last year. We were phoned/texted and invited to  arrange a suitable time at a separately organised GP hub. I think each area had different arrangements.

Newcastle City Council also organised vaccine centres independent of GP groupings.

All was extremely efficient.

[Roobarb]

I see now though that the covid jab has been modified to immunise against both the original strain and the latest omicron variant, although not enough jabs yet to go around all the sugggested vulnerable groups.

Pheno

It's a vaccination, not an immunisation. Unfortunately it doesn't make us immune.

[Maiden Stone]

My autumn booster 2021 was at a local mass vaccination centre, although not the sports hall which was the venue for my original jabs.

[sonofthom]

Roobarb, surely the point of a vaccine is immunisation?

[Roobarb]

From what I understand the term immunisation means that it prevents you from getting the disease whereas vaccination stimulates the immune system to fight the disease. In the case of Covid the latter applies, you can still catch it but the vaccination lessens the effects.

[youngtug]

https://www.starhealth.in/blog/difference-between-immunisation-and-vaccination

[sonofthom]

Thank you Youngtug; interesting website from India. So vaccination is a procedure and immunisation should be the result.

[Guy Etchells]

From what I understand the term immunisation means that it prevents you from getting the disease whereas vaccination stimulates the immune system to fight the disease. In the case of Covid the latter applies, you can still catch it but the vaccination lessens the effects.

Vaccination is the method of delivery, i.e by injection but tests are being carried out on pills that could be swallowed and "autoinject" in the stomach (gastric autoinjectors).

The covid vaccine does not prevent a vaccinated person catching or indeed passing on covid but it does lessen the effect and symptoms of covid. For instance it will in most cases prevent the need of hospitalisation of an infected person.

Immunisation is a means to make your body think you have been infected by a disease, (often by injecting a dead or weakened microbe into your body (an antigen)) this stimulates your body to produce antibodies which destroy the antigen. If you are infected again your body now has the antibody to fight that infection and can quickly reproduce more of the same antibody to destroy the desease.
Cheers
Guy