Why so many people are skipping their second Covid shot — and why they shouldn’t | World and Country

The two vaccines used in the United States (Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and Moderna vaccine) require a second dose to get the maximum protection the vaccine can provide.

According to health experts, it is not uncommon for people to forget a second shot that requires a vaccine. For example, the skip rate for the second shot of a vaccine that prevents herpes zoster was about 26% among Medicare beneficiaries. Kaiser Family Foundation Analysis..

Dr. Lina Wen, a medical analyst at CNN, said, “Of course, I’m worried that some people won’t come back on the second shot, but in reality, I thought the percentage of people who wouldn’t come back would be high. “. “There are drop-offs for many reasons, based on what we know from other vaccines.”

The CDC said the number of people who missed the dose (5 million) may not be accurate. According to a CDC spokeswoman, if a person receives two doses from different reporting agencies, for example, first from a state-owned clinic and then from a local clinic. The two doses may not be linked by the database.

“But the reason why the second dose was delayed or missed needs further analysis,” said a spokesman, and authorities should work to understand whether this is due to access or vaccine hesitation.

There were some reports that the second shot was taken in a different location than the first shot, and the admin of the first site repeatedly contacted about booking a second shot that was already managed elsewhere. ..

However, some people do miss the second dose. Fear of side effects from the second dose-this has been reported to be more severe than after the first dose For some people -This is one of the reasons people missed the second dose as well as having a hard time making reservations and finding the time.

The second shot of the Pfizer vaccine is to be given 21 days after the first shot. For Moderna, the second dose is 28 days later.

When Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of Public Health at Brown University, took the second shot, “It was a terrible inconvenient day, so I tried to move it. They are like this. You appear. I had to do it, this day, at this time. “

“Most of this is hard to get, in my sense, people miss promises, people miss doctors’ promises,” Ja said in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.

“I don’t think anyone hesitates or doesn’t want to get it,” Ja said. “It’s hard to get something like this, and two shots in a row.”

“I think what we really need to do is make vaccination an easy and convenient choice,” Wen said. “No matter where people are, whatever we can do to deliver vaccines to clinics, pharmacies, workplaces and schools is really important.”

Within the network of St. Luke’s University Hospitals in Pennsylvania, the success rate of complete vaccination of people is 99%, said infectious disease expert Dr. Jeffrey Jare. This is partly because the network makes it easy to make a second reservation. Assign it when the first shot is given.

The network then followed up on multiple reminders of the appointment (5th, 3rd, the day before), and those who couldn’t keep up with that appointment were “given an easy way to change it,” Jahre said. Stated.

According to CDC data, more than 43% of the US population has been vaccinated at least once and 30% have been fully vaccinated. And in many parts of the country, vaccination is always easier as supply increases and demand slows.

But another reason people may skip a second dose is that they don’t understand the importance of it or are given the wrong information. And it can be difficult to fix.

According to Wen, some people skip the second shot because they think the first shot gives them enough protection.

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m not so at risk, so I only need one vaccine,” says Wen. “And some believe that one vaccine provides some form of adequate protection. The second vaccine is a good measure. That’s not true.”

“I don’t want them to walk around thinking they’re immune to Covid-19, but that’s not the case because they’re only receiving one dose,” Wen said.

In fact, most Americans may be given false information about the timing of immunity after vaccination. New commentary It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.

The authors analyzed the results of a survey of 1,027 US adults conducted February 11-15 through a panel created by the National Poll Center.

Approximately 20% of those surveyed believed that the vaccine provided strong protection for recipients after the first dose, and another 36% were uncertain.

As the CDC guidelines state, only 44% of vaccinated people reported that the vaccine provided “strong protection” 1-2 weeks after the second dose.

“Despite current efforts, many Americans, including many who have already been vaccinated for the first time, continue to be confused about the timing of protection and the need for a second dose,” the author writes. It was.

Earlier this year, before giving a second dose to everyone, among health authorities about delaying the second dose to focus on building partial immunity to a wider population. There was a public discussion at. The discussion may contribute to the public’s lack of understanding of the importance of the second dose, the authors said.

In fact, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta said that the first dose “stimulates the immune system and then the second dose strengthens the immune system, which allows it to gain more immunity. It’s a good option. ” Explained it When the vaccine is first approved for emergency use.

After the first shot, there is some protection, but it is not clear how long it will last, far from what full vaccination offers.

“There is a 36-fold difference between getting a full vaccination and getting a partial vaccination,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said at a press conference on Friday.

“I’m worried about that,” Jare said. “A second dose is required for durability.”

And to reach what we want from a herd immunity perspective, “durability is needed, sustainability is needed, and it is very important that people continue their second dose. “Jahre said.

“That’s certainly a problem,” Wen said, saying that 8% hadn’t received a second dose. “People need to be fully vaccinated to protect others.”

It’s also important to know that if you’re in the 8% who have only been vaccinated once with Moderna or Pfizer / BioNTech, it may not be too late to give a second vaccination, according to Wen et al. there is.

according to To CDCIf “it is impossible to meet the recommended intervals and delays in vaccination are unavoidable”, the second dose of both the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine may be up to 6 weeks after the first dose. It can be administered after 42 days.

CNN’s Ryan Prior contributed to this report.