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Health officials: People skipping COVID-19 second dose appointments are causing issues

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — Health officials said some people aren’t getting their second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which could cause problems for them and for the vaccination clinics.

It’s such an issue in Rowan County that the health department is now urging people to keep their second dose appointments.

The county health department held a clinic and vaccinated about 700 people on Saturday.

Officials said about 10% are failing to get second doses, and if that pattern holds, about 70 people from the clinic either won’t come back for that second shot or will show up days or weeks later.

“We are not going to waste vaccine for any reason,” said Alyssa Harris, interim health director of Rowan County.

Harris said one way the vaccine can be wasted is for people to not show up for their second shot.

“So we have seen a decrease in the number of folks who come back to get their second doses,” she said.

County officials said it also holds up the line because once a vial is opened, the vaccine will spoil in six hours, so if there is some uncertainty about someone showing up, the five or nine others who were assigned that vial might have to wait rather than waste a dose.

“If you don’t come, it may affect other people, and they may not be able to get their second dose,” Harris said.

Some people also are under the mistaken impression that they can just come back for their second shot whenever they feel like it.

“Some of it is, ‘Oh, I can go next week, this week doesn’t work for me, what do you have in the future?’ And I think a little bit on the hesitancy of feeling sick after that second dose because we know the second dose is where you might have that stronger immune response,” Harris said.

There are also concerns that the second dose might spark an immune reaction.

“Those symptoms, if you want to call them symptoms, of a slight fever or maybe some muscle aches or a headache are still going to be worlds better than if you were to catch or develop COVID-19,” Harris said.

Health department officials said that if something comes up and people have to cancel, they shouldn’t stand up the vaccine clinic. That’s the worst thing someone can do. Call instead and let them know, and try and reschedule.

Officials also want to remind people that they won’t get the full benefits of the vaccination until they get the second shot.