CDC Report Reveals How Many People Return For Second COVID-19 Vaccine

Though Johnson & Johnson recently received authorization to distribute its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, the majority of vaccinated people in the US have received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines at this point in time. Both latter vaccines require two doses, which raised concerns that many people may not return for the second dose.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report detailing how many people returned to get the second COVID-19 vaccine dose between mid-December 2020 and mid-February 2021. Despite concerns, the agency reports that most people returned to get their second dose and did so in the correct timeframe.

The time period evaluated by the CDC in its latest report only had two vaccines authorized for distribution in the United States: the Moderna and Pfizer two-dose vaccine. Of the people who received the first dose of either vaccine, the CDC says that 88-percent went on to get the second dose when they were supposed to.

As well, the CDC notes that another 8.6-percent of the first-dose recipients hadn't yet received their second dose, but were still within the timeframe that they could get it. Overall, 95.6-percent of the people who received the second vaccine dose received it during the appropriate time period.

The findings are good news, indicating that most people will return to get the second vaccine dose. The data helps shed light on barriers that some people, particularly marginalized groups, may face when returning for the second vaccine dose and methods that may aid them in overcoming these issues.