Nearly 50,000 people in Florida who have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine are late for their second.
The two immunizations approved in the US for emergency authorization – Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – each require a booster injection three or four weeks apart.
According to the Florida Department of Health, about 1.03 million people have received at least one injection and more than 93,000 have returned for their second shot.
However, a total of 45,056 have missed their chance – a figure that’s up 10 percent in the past three days, health department data shows.
Some health experts say seniors delay to their second appointment because they fear serious side effects such as fever, headache, and chills.
There is currently no national database tracking people who are late for their second admission and Florida is the first state to announce this problem.
Of the 1.03 million people in Florida who have received at least one injection of the coronavirus vaccine, 45,056 are late for their second dose. Pictured: A medical worker administers a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Kathy Veltman at a COVID-19 vaccination site at the Strawberry Festival Fairgrounds in Plant City, Florida, Jan. 13
Florida’s Department of Health has declined to answer questions about whether officials are concerned and why people missed their second shot
Dr. Jason Salemi, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida in Tampa, told the Sun Sentinel in South Florida that it is unclear the meaning of missing photos without knowing why they are late.
He said it could be a number of factors, including people not knowing when to get their second chance or even a delay in reporting.
“Without knowing the ‘why’ here, it’s challenging to know if it should be concerning,” Salemi said.
‘At this point I’m not concerned, but if that number continues to grow … or the reasons for skipping the second dose are worrisome (eg No doses available, people who can’t keep their appointments in time), then I brainstorm about effective solutions. ‘
However, some experts say they expected such a situation to arise.
“I’ve heard there are some seniors who are complaining about getting the second shot because they’ve heard the side effects are worse with the second shot,” Todd Husty, medical director of Seminole County EMS, told WESH 2.
Data from clinical studies showed that many volunteers who received the second dose experienced worse side effects such as fever, headache, fatigue, chills and shortness of breath.
But officials say this is a sign that the vaccine is working and that the immune system is building a response.
Husty told WESH 2 that the best solution is to educate the general public that the virus itself is much worse than the side effects and that symptoms such as a headache or fever can be relieved with Tylenol.
Jason Mahon, a Florida Department of Health spokesman, told the Sun Sentinel that 80 percent of people who need their second dose have received it.
Health experts say some seniors may be concerned about the side effects of getting the second dose, which is known to be stronger than the first. Pictured: Residents of The Palace residential care center in Coral Gables, Florida, waiting in line to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Jan. 12
In a statement on Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis urged vaccinated Floridians not to forgo their second chance
However, he did not answer questions about why people are late or about government officials.
The state’s Department of Health did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Dr. Joshia Lenchus, chief medical officer of Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, told the Sun Sentinel that the two doses have enough space to give the body time to build an immune response while reducing side effects.
The Pfizer booster shot is given 21 days after the first injection, while the Moderna vaccine is given after 28 days.
Lenchus said there is a four-day period when the ideal is to disperse the second shot, but he recommends still getting it outside that window.
“I’d suggest making it anyway,” he told the Sun Sentinel.
“I wouldn’t walk around with one shot and feel protected.”
In a statement released on Twitter on Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to get their second dose
“ While there is talk at the federal level about how to distribute vaccine doses and whether to ‘hold back’ booster shots, Florida is committed to the two-dose regimen for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, ‘he wrote .
One dose seems to provide some protection, but the 95 percent efficiency was only achieved by taking the booster shot.
This means that while the method of spreading may change, the need for the booster shot will not be. Florida wants all seniors to get booster shots at the right time. ‘