A troubling trend of late when it comes to second doses of Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines was noted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Millions of Americans are not getting their second shot COVID-19 vaccine, according to latest data from the CDC. Almost 8% of those who have so far been injected their first dose of either Moderna or Pfizer vaccines have missed their follow-up appointments to get their second shot, Business Insider said on Monday.
The percentage of people missing their second dose more than doubled from 3.5%, based on CDC data compiled through mid-February. However, it said the increase was to be expected as eligibility and access to the treatments increased.
While there are plenty of anecdotal reasons why people did not receive their second shot, health officials are encouraging Americans to stick to the recommendations to get their second dose in the time frame that is required.
Immunization campaigns have been staggered at the CDC's recommendation. Initial treatments were provided to frontline workers and people living in long-term facilities like nursing homes.
Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital, said it is not clear why so many patients are not showing up for their follow-up consultations, but there could be a few factors.
For one, some people can't get their work schedules to align with setting up and attending the second dose visit, Brownstein said.
There are reasons a growing number of Americans are opting not to get their second shot. Some have said they are afraid they might experience side effects while others feel like a single dose should be enough to protect them against the disease, the New York Times said.
Almost 32 million Americans have contracted COVID-19 since the pandemic broke out in 2020, according to data by the Johns Hopkins University. Of this figure, more than 571,000 have died from the virus.
