TUESDAY, June 30, 2026 (HealthDay News) — One trip to the pharmacy may be all you need to protect yourself from COVID-19 and the flu this fall.

A new study — published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine — found that getting both vaccines at the same visit is no riskier than getting a flu shot alone.

A team led by Yan Xie of the VA St. Louis Health Care System and the Washington University School of Medicine analyzed health records from 2.5 million U.S. veterans, comparing more than 700,000 adults who received both vaccines on the same day with 1.8 million who received only a flu shot.

Researchers tracked participants for 90 days after vaccination, monitoring 46 potential adverse events ranging from less serious to life-threatening.

The results showed same-day vaccination did not increase the risk of serious side effects, including heart and blood clotting problems, neurological disorders and immune-related conditions.

The study was conducted using multiple updated COVID-19 vaccine formulations from the fall of 2022 to the summer of 2025.

The authors say their findings support the short-term safety of receiving both vaccines during the same visit and could help guide future vaccine recommendations.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

SOURCE: HealthDay TV, June 30, 2026