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Best Practices in the Coadministration of Respiratory Vaccines

Panelists discuss strategies to address patient hesitancy around receiving multiple vaccines—flu, COVID-19, and RSV—simultaneously during the fall, emphasizing CDC recommendations for co-administration, educating patients about manageable adverse effects, tailoring conversations to individual concerns, and encouraging year-round RSV vaccination to maximize protection and reduce missed opportunities.

During the fall months, flu, COVID-19, and RSV are the primary respiratory viruses that high-risk populations need to consider for vaccination. Many patients feel hesitant about receiving multiple vaccines at once, often due to concerns about adverse effects or misinformation about coadministration. Educating patients is crucial to overcoming this hesitancy. The CDC clearly recommends administering multiple vaccines during the same visit and encourages it, as delaying vaccination leaves patients vulnerable to illness and increases the risk of spreading infections to others.

When patients express reluctance to get all recommended vaccines simultaneously, health care providers have an important role in emphasizing the benefits and addressing common adverse effects. For example, receiving vaccines in different arms may cause localized soreness, but this is generally short-lived and outweighed by the protection vaccines offer. Understanding patients’ motivations—such as avoiding missed work or protecting family members—can help tailor the conversation and encourage immediate vaccination rather than postponement.

It’s also important to recognize that some vaccines, like the RSV vaccine, are not strictly seasonal and can be administered year-round, even though the optimal timing is before the respiratory season. Pharmacists are encouraged to maximize coadministration opportunities while also being flexible about timing to ensure patients get protected whenever they come in. This approach helps prevent missed chances for vaccination and ensures that adults receive all necessary vaccines based on individual needs, rather than limiting administration to a narrow seasonal window.

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