Millions of Americans are not receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nearly 8% of the people who’ve received their first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines have missed their follow-up appointments to receive the second dose, CDC data shared with Insider showed.
More than 26% of the US population has been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to data published by Johns Hopkins University. That figure represents about 85 million people.
There are several reasons a growing number of Americans might not want to receive the second dose. Some might fear experiencing side effects, while others might feel like one dose should be enough protection against the virus.
Others could be missing their second appointments because of barriers like insufficient vaccine supply at pharmacies or other vaccination sites.
Additionally, it’s important to note that some people in this count might have received their two doses at different facilities, which makes it harder to track consecutively.
“If a person received their first dose at a clinic run by the state, and second dose from a tribal health clinic, they might not be linked and it could look like they missed the second dose,” a CDC spokesperson said in an email to Insider.
Vaccines have been rolling out swiftly in the US since December, when Pfizer became the first company to receive approval for its vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration. The company expects to have delivered 300 million doses by the end of July.
