Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) gets vaccinated against the Chinese Communist virus on Jan. 30.
The United States has recently entered the tricky phase of vaccination against the Chinese Communist virus (COVID-19). While millions of Americans are being allowed to qualify for the vaccine, many areas are having to cut back on new appointments to ensure that people who have already received their first dose are guaranteed a second dose within the required Time frame.
According to the Associated Press, the vaccine currently being developed by major manufacturers to protect against the Chinese Communist virus requires two injections, several weeks apart. This is the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history, and the situation has become more complicated than ever. Moreover, uncertainty about future vaccine availability has heightened concerns that some people will not receive a second dose in time.
In some cases, local health departments and providers have said they must temporarily curb or even cancel appointments for the first dose of vaccine to ensure there are enough second doses for those who need them.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed by the Associated Press, an average of 900,000 people were given the first dose of the vaccine each day across the United States in the past month. Now, it’s time for many of those people to receive their second dose. And a record number of people received their second dose this Tuesday. As demand for the second dose increases, the Biden administration is taking steps to increase the supply of doses.
For Pfizer, the doses are supposed to be three weeks apart. For Moderna, it’s four weeks. The second dose can be delayed by up to six weeks if needed, according to the CDC’s updated guidelines. Federal officials said they are confident there will be enough doses to make sure people get their second vaccination.
Jeff Zients, White House coordinator for the CDC virus, announced Tuesday that the sum of the doses distributed by states will rise to 11 million per week starting next week. Since Jan. 20, the weekly dose has increased by more than 2 million doses.
About 33 million people in the U.S. have now received at least one dose of the vaccine since the CCP virus vaccine was licensed in late December of last year, representing more than 10 percent of the total U.S. population. About 3 percent have received two doses of the vaccine, according to an Associated Press analysis.
In California, limited supplies throughout Los Angeles County mean most vaccinations this week will be the second dose, health officials said. In the state’s Napa County, some first-dose vaccine appointments were canceled last week to ensure enough second-dose vaccines were available.
In New Hampshire, officials are ditching the current scheduling system for people trying to book a second dose within the recommended time frame. Some people are getting appointments two months out.
At the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada, another form of scheduling problem emerged last week. At that time the site opened a clinic dedicated only to the second dose. When appointment requests opened online, people eager to get their first dose of vaccine took up spots. Despite the scheduling chaos, health officials and providers say their main challenges remain limited supplies and fluctuating doses. Even as the Biden Administration announced increased shipments, local officials and suppliers said they did not have enough doses to meet demand.
In Seattle, Washington, the University of Washington School of Medicine had temporarily stopped accepting new appointments at the end of January because of limited supplies and the need to give others a second dose.
Anthony Fauci, a U.S. infectious disease specialist, said the potential value of the one-dose vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson lies in dealing with the shortage. The company recently applied for an emergency use authorization. The vaccine is also less expensive to produce and easier to transport.
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