WASHINGTON DC – Millions of Americans who received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna are not keeping their appointments for the second dose, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English).
About 8%, or five million people, of the total number of people who received the first dose of Pfizer or Moderna have not had the second dose to complete the vaccination process.
In March, about 3.4% had missed their second appointments, according to the CDC.
According to the newspaper The New York Times, in many cases people decided not to go to their appointments for fear of suffering side effects or problems of lack of supplies.
According to health experts, missing the second dose can leave some people more vulnerable to COVID-19 variants.
Unlike the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require a second dose received three to four weeks after the first.