CDC: Millions Have Missed Second Appointment of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Dose

What risk does someone run by not receiving the second dose of the vaccine against COVID – 19?

Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images

Nationwide, Millions of Americans miss appointments for their second dose of COVID vaccine – 19.

According to the CDC, more than five million people, or about 8%, had lost their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna in early April. According to the CDC, “If a person received the two doses from different reporting entities, those two doses may not have been linked.”

The CDC said that the second injection is essential to help protect people from the virus.

According to a report from The New York Times, Reasons people skip the second dose include problems with appointments for the second dose, people who already feel protected with a single injection or if they feel ill after the first dose.

The doctor Emily Landon, infectious disease specialist at the University of Medicine Chicago, told CBS News that people are considered not vaccinated until they have received both injections.

What is the risk of not receiving the second dose?

“The way the vaccine is supposed to work is the first injection is like they say to your body ‘Here’s a picture of a spike protein. This is what you are looking for, and you should take care of it if you see it. ‘ And many times, our bodies react the same way that we react, and they say, ‘Ok, got it, that sounds good.’ But then the second shot is like a practice run . It kind of tricks your body into saying, here’s that spike protein again, and your body kicks in, and it does whatever it needs to fight that spike protein. And that creates that big boost in antibodies that last longer, ”explained Dr. Landon

“ Not getting your second shot means you’re giving up your immunity. And you may be at risk for COVID as soon as a few months after that first shot. Second, it has a much lower immunity to all the variants that are the predominant things that are circulating right now, ”said Landon.

Landon said that if not enough people get the second chance, the country could “absolutely” regress.

Many people re-considered the risks of Covid vaccines – 19 when cases of blood clots were reported after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine . After a hiatus, the CDC determined that it is safe to continue using this vaccine.

Landon said that the risk of dying from COVID is much higher than having a rare reaction to one of the vaccines.