The holidays are traditionally a time of celebration and gathering with loved ones, but the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus has also made this a time of caution as people travel and gather in close quarters.
Dr. Catherine Oliphant is a professor, pharmacist and department co-chair for the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Idaho State University. In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, Dr. Oliphant encouraged the public to be vaccinated for both the flu and COVID-19.
Getting both shots at the same time is reportedly safe and recommended by Dr. Oliphant as a means to help us have peace of mind during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.
“A lot of people didn’t celebrate holidays with loved ones last year due to COVID, and people need to get together with family and friends,” she said. “COVID has taken a hard hit on mental health, and we need to get together; we need to BE WITH our family and friends, and this is just going to provide that level of protection to keep everybody safe.”