JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — President Joe Biden’s administration is still on top of its goal to vaccinate 100 million people in 100 days. The idea is to get as many people as possible to build immunity to this fatal virus.
“They’re confident it seems like there’s going to be supply made available as manufacturers continue production," said Assistant Chief Medical Officer at UF Heath Jacksonville, Dr. Chirag Patel.
On the flip side, people distributing the vaccine may run into some issues.
“Some administration sites might be facing the challenges of how do I keep track of the patients to make sure they come back for their second dose because we don’t want to lose them for a follow-up," said Patel.
To recap, Pfizer and Moderna each did their trials with two doses and both manufacturers found that two shots are better than one.
“They felt with the second dose as a booster dose you were able to get an immunity to about 90-95% of those who got both shots," said Patel.
Patel says the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization both say there could be a further wait between doses.
“As far as I've seen most recently... there isn’t a maximum duration... what both of them have said certainly is that you shouldn’t do it any sooner than three weeks for Pfizer and you shouldn’t do it any sooner than four weeks for Moderna," said Patel.
Patel still recommending the second after the vaccine manufacturer's time frame.
“Ultimately overtime as with most vaccinations that immune response will slow down and sometimes diminish because it forgets. your memory isn’t as good and that’s why you need boosters," said Patel.
After getting the COVID-19 vaccine Patel wants to remind people that you can still be a silent spreader, so make sure to follow all the safety protocols.