1 in 10 people skip the second dose of COVID vaccine

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June 29, 2021 – More than one in 10 people have missed their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, and the gap is widening as the vaccination rollout continues.

About 88% of those eligible for a second dose received one, CNN reported, down from 92% in the spring.

Public health officials are trying to close the gap and encourage people to receive their second dose as the contagious Delta variant spreads across the country. The Delta variant, which was first identified in India and has led to outbreaks in India and the UK, now accounts for around 20% of new COVID-19 cases in the US

Recent studies have shown that the vaccines are about 88% effective against the Delta variant after two doses, compared to 33% effective after one dose, CNN reported.

Because this virus has mutated, there are versions of it that are better able to evade some of the immune protection we get from the vaccine, US surgeon general Vivek Murthy, MD, told CNN.

The key is to get the vaccine, he said. Get both doses.

Those who received the Pfizer vaccine should receive the second dose 21 days after the first injection, and those who received the Moderna vaccine should receive the second dose 28 days after the first injection.

More than 153 million people in the United States are considered fully vaccinated, according to the latest CDC tally. About 66% of American adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 57% are fully immunized.

However, about 11% of Americans eligible to receive a second dose or about 15 million people have not completed their vaccine series, CNN reported. Adults under 30 were the most likely to have missed the second dose.

Some states also have lower rates of fully immunized residents, which could lead to pockets of epidemics, according to Good Morning America. Five states of Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks and have full vaccination rates below the national average.

I encourage all Americans to get your first shot and when you’re due for your second get your second shot and you’ll be protected from this Delta variant, CDC director Rochelle Walensky, MD, told GMA.

As worrying as this Delta strain is in terms of its hyper-transmissibility, our vaccines work, she said. They work and need two doses or to be fully immunized to work.

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