(CNN) – Some vaccine suppliers have been forced to cancel Covid-19 vaccine appointments due to the winter weather that devastated much of the United States and caused delays in vaccine deliveries.
This can be worrisome for people who have been scheduled to receive their second dose of the two-dose Covid-19 vaccines, who should have a second inoculation administered three or four weeks after the first.
But if you are one of those people, there is good news.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the second dose of the vaccine can be administered within 42 days, or six weeks, after the initial inoculation.
Therefore, if your appointment for a second dose has been postponed or canceled due to the winter weather, there should still be time to get fully vaccinated.
Both vaccines on the US market – developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – require two doses to achieve about 95% effectiveness, and the second doses should be administered 21 days and 28 days after the first, respectively.
The CDC website says that the agency still recommends that the second dose be administered “as close as possible to the recommended interval”.
“However, if it is not feasible to adhere to the recommended interval and a delay in vaccination is inevitable,” says the website, “the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines can be administered in up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose. “
The CDC is clear that patients should not receive the second dose earlier than recommended, and there is still limited data on the effectiveness of vaccines if the second inoculation occurs beyond the six-week window.
At an event last month, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla emphasized the importance of administering his company’s second dose of vaccine on time. But he doesn’t think “giving it a week or two later is a big problem.”
“You need to be sure to give the second doses, as the studies recommend that the vaccine works, which is in three weeks,” said Bourla during an event organized by Bloomberg Media. “In our study, we had 19 to 42 (days). Within that structure, I’m fine. Furthermore, it is serious. “
States see delays in shipping vaccines
The cold climate affected large areas of the country and imposed challenges for sending vaccines allocated as first and second doses.
Health officials in places like Dallas County, Texas, say they recognize the need for a second, timely dose.
“We understand the urgency of administering second doses of the vaccine, but we must also balance people’s safety,” the county said in a press release this week. “As soon as we can open it safely again, we will.”
In Miami-Dade County, Florida, officials said this week that some 2,000 people would not receive their second scheduled dose of the vaccine due to weather-related delays in delivery. A spokesman for the mayor’s office told CNN that the second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine scheduled to be administered on Thursday had not yet arrived. All those affected were notified, according to the press office.
Some health officials indicated that they would prioritize rescheduling appointments for the second dose going forward. A press release this week from the Alabama Department of Public Health said employees “would guarantee the opportunity for people to receive their second dose in the next two weeks”, an effort that would include “extended clinic hours as staff availability allows” .
In Nevada, the Southern Nevada Health District said in a statement on Wednesday that it would have to reschedule people who had consultations for the second dose of the Modern vaccine in a week (consultations for the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were taking place as scheduled ). About 4,000 people were being contacted by officials to reschedule. In addition, the health district said it would administer only second doses in the next week.
Shipping companies like UPS and FedEx told CNN that they are working to ensure that vaccines are delivered. FedEx said vaccine deliveries were gaining priority, but “the severe and prolonged weather continues to impact much of the FedEx network.”
The-CNN-Wire
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