Millions Are Skipping Their Second Doses of COVID Vaccines

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculates that more than 5 million Americans, or nearly 8 percent of those who received a first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, have missed their second doses, reports the New York Times . That is more than twice the rate among people who got immunized in the first several weeks of the nationwide vaccine push. In interviews, some said they skipped the second shots out of concern about side effects, while others felt that they were sufficiently protected with one dose. Yet a number of vaccine providers also have canceled second-dose appointments because they ran out of stock or did not have the right brand available. This trend is worrisome for state officials. In Arkansas and Illinois, health officials have required teams to call, text, or send letters to people to remind them to get their second shots. Evidence indicates that compared with the two-dose regimen, a single dose triggers a weaker immune response and may leave recipients more vulnerable to dangerous variants. It is also not certain how long protection from a single shot will last.