Travis Kelce says you can get your COVID and flu shots at the same time. Experts agree.
Travis Kelce is making news for more than just his rumored relationship with Taylor Swift — or his moves on the football field. In a paid partnership with Pfizer, the tight end for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs is also encouraging fans to get COVID and influenza shots simultaneously — a decision that experts say is the right move.
The Pfizer spot
In the commercial, a pharmacist asks, “Travis, did you know you can get this season’s COVID-19 shot when you get your flu shot?”
“Huh, two things at once,” the athlete says, followed by shots of the multitasking star illustrating the tagline by doing things like barbecuing while mowing the lawn and ordering “two things at once” at a restaurant.
Even Kelce’s mom, Donna — who was also in the news this week, for cheering along her son with his maybe-girlfriend Taylor — made an appearance in the ad.
“With my schedule, saving time is key,” Kelce wrote in a recent Instagram post sharing the video. “The CDC says you can get this season’s updated COVID-19 shot when you get your flu shot if you’re due for both. That’s why I got two shots in one stop!”
Here’s what experts say about flu and COVID shots
As Yahoo Life previously reported, you can get your COVID and flu shots at the same time, and research shows there’s only a slightly higher chance of experiencing side effects such as pain at the injection site or fatigue when getting COVID and flu shots simultaneously, with no decrease in benefit. Experts say you should go with whatever is easiest, and if you do decide to spread your shots out over more than one visit, there’s no recommended wait time between vaccines.
“I think it’s good, just for convenience,” Dr. Dean Winslow, a professor of infectious diseases at Stanford University tells Yahoo Life of getting COVID and flu shots at once. “I typically get a little bit of soreness in my arm and maybe even a little low-grade fever for a day after the flu shot. So just as my fellow football player says, get them both at the same time, get the mild side effects over at one time.”
The CDC and others also say it doesn’t matter which arm you get your flu and COVID vaccines in; you can opt for multiple shots in the same arm “at least an inch apart,” or get one shot in each arm. (The commercial ends on a shot of Kelce showing off two Band-Aids in his left arm, suggesting he went with the one-arm approach.)
Kelce has received some backlash from fans, but this isn’t the first time he has publicly endorsed vaccines. In 2021, after saying he was initially hesitant to get the COVID-19 shot, the Chiefs player joined Walgreens for its "This Is Our Shot" campaign encouraging people to get vaccinated. And while some may be rattled by the athlete’s latest vaccine plug, Winslow says he’s happy to see Kelce speaking out.
“I’m glad we've got jocks besides myself that are advocating for science,” he says.
