Millions skip the second Covid vaccine

Millions of Americans have not received a second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and are on the rise.

According to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 5 million people, or nearly 8% of those who first received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, missed a second dose.It’s more than double rate Among those vaccinated in the first few weeks of the national vaccine campaign.

Local health authorities ensure that vaccinated people are fully vaccinated, even when the country is tackling the problem of millions of people who are totally wary of being vaccinated. We are facing a new challenge.

There are many reasons why people are missing a second shot. In interviews, some said they were afraid of side effects that could include flu-like symptoms. Others said they felt they were well protected in one shot.

These attitudes were expected, but surprisingly another hurdle is widespread. Many vaccine providers have canceled their second vaccination appointment due to lack of supply or lack of proper brand inventory.

Walgreens, one of the largest vaccine providers, has sent some people who received the first injection of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine to receive a second dose at a pharmacy where only other vaccines are available.

In an interview, some Walgreens customers said they scrambled, in some cases, with the help of pharmacy staff to find a place to get the correct second dose. Others probably just gave up.

From the beginning, public health experts were worried that it would be difficult for everyone to return to the second shot 3-4 weeks after the first dose. Not surprisingly, as the vaccine becomes more widespread, more and more people are skipping the second dose.

But, nevertheless, this trend has plagued some state officials in a hurry to prevent the number of people who are only partially vaccinated from swelling.

In Arkansas and Illinois, health officials have instructed teams to call, text message, or write to notify them to take a second shot. In Pennsylvania, authorities are trying to allow college students to take a second shot after leaving campus in the summer. South Carolina has allocated thousands of doses, especially for those who are late for their second shot.

The increased evidence collected in trials and actual vaccination campaigns indicates the risk of people skipping a second vaccination. Compared to a two-dose regimen, a single injection may weaken the immune response and make the recipient more susceptible to dangerous viral variants. And while a single dose provides partial protection against Covid, it’s not clear how long that protection will last.

Dr. Paul Offit, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccine Advisory Board, said:

The risk is high because only one single-dose vaccine is approved in the United States. The use of the vaccine, made by Johnson & Johnson, was suspended this month after it was associated with very rare but serious side effects, including blood clotting.Friday federal health authorities Reboot is recommended Vaccine use, but with fear of safety Ongoing production issues It has the potential to make the vaccine a viable option for fewer people.

The number of second dose omissions for the CDC is until April 9. This is only for those who have taken their first Moderna by March 7th or their first Pfizer by March 14th.

Millions of people missed the second shot, but the overall percentage of follow-through is strong by historical standards, with about 92% fully vaccinated. Approximately three quarters Percentage of adults returning for a second vaccination to prevent shingles.

In some cases, shipping or scheduling issues may be affecting people who missed a second dose. Some vaccine providers had to cancel their reservations because they did not receive the expected vaccine delivery. People also reported that their secondary dose schedule was canceled or appeared to find out that there was no brand available dose they needed.

Some people have the flexibility to rebook. But for those who don’t have reliable transportation or work during tightly scheduled times, it’s difficult, says Elena Cyrus, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Central Florida. ..

Walgreens has booked some customers for a second appointment at a location that did not have the same vaccine that they received on the first dose. The company said it fixed the problem in late March.

Susan Ruel, 67, was scheduled to be vaccinated twice at different Walgreens stores in Manhattan. She said she had successfully obtained her first Pfizer dose in February, but when she arrived for her second appointment, she was told that the store only had the Moderna dose in stock. It was.

A Walgreens pharmacist told Ms. Ruel that another Walgreens pharmacy with Pfizer doses in stock was within two miles. She received a call while Ruel was waiting for the subway to take her there: the Walgreens store was also running out of Pfizer’s dose.

The next day, Ruel was able to get a dose of Pfizer at yet another Walgreens. But she said many people in her situation probably wouldn’t have worked so hard. “All you need is this hassle,” she said.

For example, in the Chicago area, pharmacists at two locations in Walgreens said the problem was the cause of the headache. They said Walgreens’ booking system sent 10 to 20 customers a week to each pharmacy requiring a second Pfizer shot, even though both pharmacies had only Modana vaccines in stock. Said.

It is not clear how widespread the Walgreens dose matching problem is and how many people missed a second dose because of it.

Walgreens spokesman Jim Cohn said the issue affected “a small percentage” of those who booked online, and the company contacted them to reschedule “according to vaccine availability.” I did. He said that nearly 95% of those who took the first shot at Walgreens also received a second shot from the company.

Walgreens too It will be a fire Because, until recently, scheduling a second dose of Pfizer vaccine four weeks after the first shot, rather than the three-week gap recommended by CDC pharmacists, complained that vaccination reservations could not be booked online. Has been surrounded by customers who say.

However, access to vaccines may not be the only barrier. People’s attitudes also contribute.

Chicago’s 24-year-old consultant, Basith Syed, got the remaining Moderna vaccine in Walgreens in mid-February. But when the time for the second shot came, he was busy preparing for work and the wedding. After the first shot, he was tired for two days. He didn’t want to run the risk of repetition, and he was convinced that a single dose would protect him.

“I didn’t really feel the urgency of that second dose,” Sayyed said.

By early April, his schedule had settled down a bit and he went looking for a second Moderna shot. But by that time, Walgreens, who had his first shot, offered only Pfizer shots. He couldn’t find a slot in any other Walgreens store. Syed isn’t actively looking for a second shot, but he wants to get a second shot in the end.

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The· CDC says Although data on the effectiveness of vaccines when injections are separated by more than 6 weeks are limited, in some countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada, injections are given at intervals of up to 3-4 months.

Saeed’s experience is part of a wider range of changes in Illinois. Almost everyone was given a second dose when the vaccine was given primarily to health care workers, caregiver residents, and people over the age of 65. However, according to the Illinois Public Health Service, numbers have recovered slightly below 90 percent in recent weeks.

In Arkansas, about 84,000 people miss a second shot, accounting for 11% of those shot, said state epidemiologist Dr. Jennifer Dilaha. Workers have recently begun calling people whose second shots are due or late.

College students raise specific assignments. Recently, many people are eligible for vaccination and have received the first vaccination, but are off campus when the second vaccination is scheduled.

In Pennsylvania, health officials have instructed vaccine providers to give a second dose, even if the college student did not receive the first dose from the location.

Some vaccine providers have set up special clinics for people who need a second dose. In South Carolina, the healthcare system Tidelands Health has launched a special program for people who received their first Pfizer dose more than 23 days ago but could not find a second injection. The State Department of Health sent 2,340 doses to the health system for that effort.

Demand is strong, with only a few hundred remaining in Tidelands. Gale Resettal, Chief Operating Officer of Health Systems, is dominated by people who “have had a hard time navigating all the different scheduling systems and providers.”

Vaccine providers often canceled their second vaccination appointment due to bad winter weather. “It was an individual responsibility to change the schedule on a web portal or web platform, but it became difficult for people,” says Resetar.

There are rare cases of forgetting the second shot, such as if you have an allergic reaction after the first shot.

ZviIsh-Shalom, a professor of religious studies in Boulder, Colorado, planned to receive a complete vaccination. Then, an hour after the first injection of the Moderna vaccine, he developed a headache, which did not go away after more than a month.

There is no reliable way to tell if a vaccine has caused a headache. However, after weighing what he saw as the risks and benefits of the second dose, Dr. Ish-Shalom came to a decision on how to proceed.

“At this point, I feel very clear and very comfortable to abandon the second shot, considering all the different elements of this equation,” he said.