We weren't queued up for a COVID-19 vaccine jab, however: We were waiting for our 2021 flu shot.

Nationwide lockdowns that kept people distanced, mixed with the annual flu shot, largely helped dodge the double blast of infections last year.

With COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots now authorized -- even mix-and-match shots -- intermingling is expected.

But the flu shot should be as easy to get as the COVID-19 vaccination.

In fact, the CDC has said it's safe to get a flu shot and COVID vaccination in the same sitting.

The effectiveness of the vaccine at preventing infection varies year to year, ranging from 19% efficacy in the 2014-2015 season to 60% in 2010-2011.

This year, because of last year's light flu season, the vaccine-makers had less to go on to make their predictions and created a vaccine containing four likely flu strains -- called a quadrivalent flu vaccine -- to increase the chances of covering the dominant strain this year. .

As with the COVID-19 vaccines, the flu shot is not 100% effective in guarding against infection

And don't worry about more serious side effects with a four-part flu vaccine: Whether the vaccine is made using three components or four, the side effects should be the same, Chin-Hong, the UCSF doctor, said

For more on vaccines this fall, here's what we know about the Pfizer COVID-19 booster and the Moderna vaccine booster