Vaccinators should leave a seven-day gap between the flu jab and the Novavax Covid-19 vaccination, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.
Guidance for healthcare providers said that other Covid-19 and influenza vaccines may be administered at the same time ‘where operationally advantageous’.
The guidance refers to a 2022 study that revealed that when the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine was co-administered with the inactivated influenza vaccine, the antibody response to Covid-19 was somewhat reduced.
Related Article: RCN calls for certainty from Government on rumoured NHS pay award
UKHSA has said that ‘the clinical significance of this is unclear’ but has said that the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine should be given at least seven days apart from the influenza vaccine.
The guidance also refers to a UK study of co-administration of AstraZeneca and Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines with inactivated influenza vaccines, which did not have the same results. When these vaccines were administered at the same time as the influenza vaccine, the study found ‘acceptable immunogenicity and reactogenicity’.

It said that if the vaccines are not given together, they can be administered at any interval, although separating the vaccines by a day or two will avoid confusion over systemic side effects.
In August, NHS England advised healthcare professionals that the three mRNA vaccine types should be prioritised but Novavax can be used off-label as a booster dose for over-18s ‘in exceptional circumstances’.
Related Article: No extra testing needed for notifying chickenpox cases, guidance says
It also said that in line with’ a recommendation from the JCVI, it would ‘deploy a single type of vaccine’ – the Moderna Omicron-targeting bivalent vaccine – in the majority of adult cases, for simplicity of delivery.
In August, the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use in 12-17-year-olds. It was already approved as a two-dose schedule for over-18s.
Related Article: Government to freeze prescription charges for first time since 2022