But the communication and procedures for scheduling these second doses can vary widely across the region, due to the chaotic launch of vaccines in California, unpredictable supplies and a complex supplier system.
The Chronicle interviewed health officials and infectious disease specialists in the Bay Area to answer some of the most pressing questions about the second vaccination: how and when people are receiving them and how the timing of vaccines affects protection against the virus.
How do I get my second dose of vaccine in the Bay Area?
Qualified people in the Bay Area have received vaccines from a variety of sources – usually their own health care providers (like Kaiser or Sutter Health), county health departments or pharmacies (like CVS or Safeway).
Generally, the place of distribution or health care provider where you received your first dose should allow you to schedule a second dose during your first appointment, or provide a way to schedule it later. The provider can contact you by email or phone to schedule an appointment directly, or provide you with a way to schedule your next appointment on your own.
If you’re passing through your county and are still having difficulties, here are the steps recommended by staff:
Avenue: According to county spokesman Neetu Balram, anyone who received the first dose at a Alameda County dispensation point on or after January 11 has the opportunity to schedule the next on-site appointment. Patients receive a QR code to scan with a smartphone, taking them to an online scheduler. Whoever is unable to access the QR code will receive an email.
Against Costa: The Contra Costa County vaccine phone line (833-829-2626) allows residents to reserve the first and second doses at the same time, according to spokesman Will Harper. The county is now updating its online appointment system.
Marin: Residents can schedule their second appointments while receiving their first doses, said county spokesman Laine Hendricks. Anyone who leaves without scheduling their next appointment will receive an email one week before the due date for the second dose and several consultation options will be provided.
Napa: In Napa County, residents fill out a vaccine interest form to schedule initial consultations. After receiving the first dose, patients schedule the second dose via a county follow-up email, and anyone who does not use the email receives a number from the county’s bilingual call center to schedule a second appointment, from according to county spokeswoman Janet. Upton. The county said on Thursday that, due to limited supplies, residents who have already received their first doses may have to postpone obtaining second doses by at least two weeks, with priority for health professionals and those aged 75.
San Francisco: Everyone who received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine has a second dose of the two-dose regimen waiting for him, or has already received the second dose, said health director Dr. Grant Colfax on Thursday.
San Mateo: Residents should call their doctor. If they are unable to schedule a second dose with their provider, they can send an email to County Health at [email protected].
Saint Clara: Residents can contact their provider using the contact information found at www.sccfreevax.org. Santa Clara County Health System customers can call Valley Connections at 408-970-2000.
Solano: If you need help scheduling your second injection, the county’s vaccine website says you should contact the place that made your initial appointment for assistance. Your CDC vaccination card will also include information about follow-up vaccination.
Sonoma: County clinics are now focusing on those aged 75 and over, prioritizing seniors who don’t have primary care doctors and / or who don’t have insurance. Any eligible person who has not heard from their primary care physician can go to one of the websites listed at socoemergency.org/vaccine.
What is the currently recommended term for a second vaccine?
Both vaccines available – manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – involve a two-dose regimen determined by the manufacturers, with schedules authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. The recommendation for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 21 days between the first and the second dose for patients aged 16 and over. For Moderna, the recommended interval is 28 days for people over 18. None of the vaccines are approved for children below those ages.
George Rutherford, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF, said the dosing schedules are not to show how much time you can spend between two doses, but to show the minimum time interval between them to ensure protection.
“When they set up the tests, they wanted to vaccinate as many people as possible … and protect them as quickly as possible,” he said.
Ezekiel Logan (left), Raul Garnelo, Irene Villa and Elmira Lagundi wait to receive their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine before the grand opening of a mass COVID-19 vaccination post at Moscone South in San Francisco.
Jessica Christian / The ChronicleExperts say there is some leeway for the second dose. The CDC recently updated its guidance to allow the second dose to be administered up to six weeks (42 days) after the first dose, but the CDC does not advocate a postponement.
Some experts have suggested postponing the second dose so that as many people as possible receive the first dose. Britain did this with the launch of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, and an analysis released this week suggests that a dose offers strong protection even after several months.
America’s leading infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said on ABC this week that delaying the second dose by a week or two is not a big problem.
“But I would be concerned about being late for three months or more,” he said. “You have to be careful because you are dealing with different vaccine platforms.”
How much protection does the first dose give me against the coronavirus?
The data so far show that the vaccine’s effectiveness from 12 days after the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was about 52%, including participants who may have been infected just before or shortly after the vaccine. The UK vaccine committee calculated the effectiveness of the first dose of the vaccine by looking at days 15-21 and found that the effectiveness jumped to 89%.
According to data from the FDA process, the Modern vaccine can provide up to 90% protection 14 days after the first dose.
In summary, both Pfizer and Moderna appear to be about 90% effective after dose 1, about two weeks later, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF. But experts still don’t know how long immunity lasts.
What will happen if I miss the appropriate time for my second dose?
The CDC has already extended the deadline for receiving your second dose to six weeks. But if you miss that deadline for a few weeks, experts say don’t worry too much. “Particularly in this crisis, I am in favor of giving a chance to as many people as possible and ensuring that everyone can get the second one, but without stressing me if people do not succeed within the interval period,” Chin-Hong said.
Stretching past the three-month mark, Chin-Hong said, may be a cause for concern because of the overall duration of immunity. But even if you only get the first injection, you will still have some degree of protection for at least several months.
What happens if I am unable to take the second dose?
Experts say this scenario is unlikely to happen on a large scale. “I imagine a second dose will be available to everyone,” said Dr. Robert Siegel, professor of immunology at Stanford. “The question is: will it be postponed? The answer is yes, there is a good chance now. “
If for any reason you receive only one dose, experts say that you should contact your doctor for more specific information and protocols – because missing the second dose may mean that you are less protected. It is important to be vigilant and comply with public health guidelines, which include wearing masks, social detachment and hand washing, because you may still be infected or infect others.
About 20% to 30% of people do not respond to the first dose of the vaccine – the second injection only guarantees the chance that people will respond to the vaccine, said Chin-Hong. No matter what happens, experts say you should still try to get your second injection whenever you can, even if it is more than six weeks.
If you’re still not able, there is still the possibility that collective immunity will help to some degree of protection, said Chin-Hong. But variants are floating around that are better able to escape current vaccines, and the fewer people are vaccinated, the more variants can take control of the epidemiological ecosystem.
The second injection may also provide more durable immunity, meaning it would last longer, but Chin-Hong said the CDC and other agencies will set this duration when more information is known.
“We don’t know how long protection against vaccination lasts, but we can assume that protection from two doses will last much longer,” said Siegel. “This is due to the way priming works on the immune system and the fact that you would be starting with a higher level of protection, which would take longer to decrease.”
Kellie Hwang and Annie Vainshtein are writers for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected], [email protected]