Consider it an invitation to a one-stop vaccination extravaganza.
Bay Area public health leaders on Friday said they support recently revised immunization guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that deem it safe for children and adults to receive other vaccines at the same time they get jabbed with their COVID-19 inoculation.
The Association of Bay Area Health Officials, which includes health officers from 12 counties in and around the Bay Area, is encouraging health care providers to routinely recommend other child and adult vaccines to patients receiving COVID-19 shots.
Out of an abundance of caution, the CDC had previously recommended that COVID-19 vaccines be administered independently, with a minimum interval of 14 days before or after administration of any other vaccines.
"Now that we have substantial data and real-world experience with the COVID-19 vaccines, we feel confident that it is safe for everyone to get immunized simultaneously against COVID-19 and other vaccine-preventable diseases," the group said in a statement.
Dr. Chris Farnitano, health officer for Contra Costa County, said a lot of people have delayed getting care and regular immunizations during the pandemic.
"This new guidance will make it easier for people to catch up on any immunizations they’re due for when they get a COVID-19 vaccine at their provider’s office," he said in the statement.