Charles Krupa / Associated Press
A snow sign directs drivers to a COVID-19 vaccination site, which was closed due to winter, in a parking lot in Londonderry, NH
If your appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine has been delayed or canceled because of winter storms – or really for any reason – experts say there is no need to panic.
You will likely receive a call from someone to reschedule your appointment. And if your second dose has been delayed, it’s important to know that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) allows some room for maneuver in the time interval between the first and second doses.
Bad weather swept the country from coast to coast this week, bringing heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures, and the National Weather Service says another storm is brewing. More than 100 million Americans were under winter storm warnings, winter storm clocks or winter weather warnings on February 17.
The first wave of bad weather caused power outages and dangerous driving conditions that led to the closure of vaccination clinics in many states, including Texas, Missouri and New Hampshire. Other states have reported delayed delivery of their vaccines.
“It is my understanding that public health officials are committed to doing everything they can” to find those whose appointments have been canceled so they can reschedule, said Fred Campbell, MD, an internal medicine specialist at the University’s Health Sciences Center of Texas in San Antonio, where winter closed the city.
“We are increasing the supply, so I have every reason to believe that there will be more than enough vaccine for everyone,” added Campbell.
The CDC allows up to six weeks between doses
COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized in the United States require two doses, weeks apart, for recipients to achieve maximum immunity. The second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech injection should be administered 21 days after the first; for Moderna, the recommended interval between doses is 28 days. However, the CDC says there is no problem with the second dose being administered within six weeks after the first.
“You don’t have to start over” if your second dose appointment was canceled, said William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. “You can get your second dose, even if it’s a little late. “