About 50,000 people in Florida who received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine have beaten the second.
The two vaccines approved for emergency use authorization in the United States – Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – each require a booster shot three or four weeks apart.
According to the Florida Department of Health, approximately 1.03 million people have been given at least one shot and more than 93,000 have returned for their second time.
However, a total of 45,056 have failed, a figure that has increased by 10% over the past three days, according to data from the health department.
Some health experts say older people are delaying their second appointment because they fear serious side effects such as fever, headache and chills.
There is currently no national database that tracks people who have delayed their second shot and Florida is the first state to report this problem.
Of the 1.03 million people in Florida who have received at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine, 45,056 have missed their second dose. Pictured: A medical worker administers a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to Kathy Veltman at a COVID-19 vaccination site at the Strawberry Festival Fairgrounds in Plant City, Florida, on January 13
The Florida Department of Health has declined to answer questions about whether officials are concerned and why people have lost their second term.
Dr. Jason Salemi, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida in Tampa, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that it is unclear how important people are who miss their shots without knowing why they are defeated.
He said there could be several factors, including people not knowing when they should receive their second shot or even a delay in reporting.
“Without knowing the‘ why ’here, it’s a challenge to know if it should be worrisome,” Salemi said.
“Right now, I don’t care, but if that number keeps growing … or the reasons why the second dose is missing are worrisome (e.g. no dose available, people can’t reach their appointments for timely), therefore, would brainstorm effective solutions.
However, some experts say they expected this situation to occur.
“I heard that there are elderly people who refuse to get the second shot because they have heard that the side effects are worse with the second shot,” Seminole EMS committee medical director Todd Husty told WESH 2.
Data from clinical trials showed that many volunteers who received the second dose experienced worse side effects such as fever, headache, fatigue, chills, and shortness of breath.
But officials say this is a sign that the vaccine is working and that the immune system is responding.
Husty told WESH 2 that the best solution is to educate the general public that the virus itself is much worse than side effects and that symptoms such as a headache or fever can be relieved with Tylenol.
Jason Mahon, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health, told the Sun Sentinel that 80% of people due to their second dose have received it.
Health experts say some seniors may be concerned about the side effects of getting the second dose, which is known to be stronger than the first. Pictured: Residents of The Palace Assisted Room in Coral Gables, Florida, wait in line to receive Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on January
In a statement Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Florida vacancies not to give up his second shot
Still, he did not answer questions about why people are late or whether state officials care.
The state Department of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
Dr. Joshia Lenchus, chief physician at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, told the Sun Sentinel that the two doses have room to give the body time to mount an immune response and reduce side effects.
The Pfizer booster vaccine is given 21 days after the initial vaccine, while the Modern vaccine is given at 28 days.
Lenchus said there is a four-day window in which it is ideal to distribute the background, but he recommends taking it out of that window.
“I would suggest you still get it,” he told the Sun Sentinel.
“I wouldn’t walk around with a single shot feeling protected.”
In a statement released on Twitter on Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Floridians to get their second dose
“While at the federal level there is talk of how to distribute vaccine doses and whether booster vaccines should be‘ retained ’,‘ Florida is committed to the two-dose regimen for Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, ’ write.
‘A dose seems to provide some protection, but 95% efficiency has only been shown to be achieved by taking the booster shot.
“This means that while the mode of distribution may change, the need for the booster shot will not change. Florida wants all seniors to receive booster shots at the right time.”