After the Kansas City Chiefs surprisingly lost to the underdog Broncos in Denver this past Sunday, with Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce putting in a somewhat mediocre performance, ex-NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe criticized Kelce for attending a World Series game in Texas less than two days before the Chiefs game in Denver.  You could say Kelce couldn’t do “two things at once.”

Speaking of which, I recently wondered aloud about the wisdom of Kelce getting a COVID booster and a flu vaccine simultaneously, as per his cutesy commercial sponsored by Pfizer pitching that you can do “Two things at once!”  A few seconds into the commercial, now with 308,129 likes on Kelce’s Instagram page, the chyron says, “The CDC recommends getting your COVID and FLU SHOTS at the same visit if you’re due for both.” 

Sure enough, as just reported in the Epoch Times, some studies now reveal an increased risk of ischemic stroke for those who get both shots simultaneously.  While the increased risk for stroke still seems small, so is the risk from COVID, not to mention flu over a short duration.  Now even some government officials are coming out of the woodwork:

Dr. Peter Marks, a top FDA official, told a recent conference that he would space out the influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus vaccines to lessen the risk of adverse events.

“Oftentimes, we suggest if you want to minimize the chance of interactions and minimize confusing side effects from one with another, you wait about two weeks between the vaccines," he said.

Early on during the COVID-19 pandemic, I remember Dr. Marks saying he will not be muzzled by President Trump if he needs to speak up for what’s right.  But we never heard a peep from him when the FDA aggressively approved vaccines and boosters galore even for infants without much evidence or justification, remdesivir as part of the inpatient protocol even for those with liver problems, etc., only speaking up when there is a belated consensus among scientists or the counter-winds start to blow.  Even before the lagging evidence inevitably comes out, whatever happened to prudent precaution and common sense in dealing with vaccines having known and unknown risks, especially for populations such as athletes and infants with very low COVID risk?

The CDC website still says it’s safe to get a COVID booster and a flu shot simultaneously.  Will it issue a retraction and disavow the statement in Kelce’s commercial?  I wonder if Travis Kelce regrets rushing into “Two things at once!”  If not, maybe Taylor Swift can knock some sense into him.

W.A. Eliot is a pseudonym

Image: Travis Kelce