CDC: 5 Million-Plus Individuals Skipped Their Second Vaccine Shot

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ATLANTA – More than 5 million people who were administered their first shot of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines missed their second shot of the vaccines weeks later, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The data does not take into account individuals who received their first shot at one location and then received their second vaccine 3 or 4 weeks later in a different location.

If you received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, you should get your second shot 3 weeks (or 21 days) after your first. If you received the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, you should get your second shot 4 weeks (or 28 days) after your first.

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Medical experts say a single shot provides a weaker immune response, compared to the complete two-dose regiment, which could mean people are at risk of contracting and spreading the coronavirus.

The CDC’s count of missed second doses is through April 9.

It covers only individuals who received a first Moderna dose by March 7 or a first Pfizer dose by March 14.

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Also a number of vaccine providers had to cancel second-dose appointments because they ran out of supply or did not have the right brand in stock.

Walgreens, for example, sent some people who got a first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine to get their second doses at pharmacies that only had the other vaccine on hand.

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