JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Patients at Regency Mall's state-run vaccination site are finding it a challenge to schedule an appointment to receive the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I was very frustrated and scared frankly that we didn’t get the call and we didn’t know where to turn," said Victoria Green, a patient from the Regency location.
Green already had her first dose patiently waiting for her second. Finally the other day, Green received a call to her appointment, but she said the process was problematic.
“All in all, I called about four different entities and no one seemed to know what was going on," Green explained. "They said we should’ve already had a schedule appointment and it should've been on the back of cards and it was not."
Another patient from Regency who wanted to stay anonymous said she has not received a call for her second dose appointment, and her shot is due Saturday.
“it’s just the frustration that you keep calling all these numbers, it just doesn’t make sense why some people are getting called and some people are not," the caller said.
At Governor Ron DeSantis’ briefing yesterday he said he will be looking into this situation.
“If they haven’t gotten it, we’ll work and follow up with you and see why they haven’t," Gov. DeSantis said. "We are doing a lot of second doses statewide and the numbers are going through the roof."
Director of Infection Prevention at UF Health Jacksonville, Chad Neilsen, said there is no need to be alarmed if you haven’t received your second shot exactly on the 21st or 28th day.
“CDC based on FDA guidance says you can get that second dose after six weeks or really after 42 days after your first dose," said Neilsen.
The reason is because during both the Moderna and Pfizer trials, they followed volunteers up to 42 days after their first dose.
“Really the most important thing is get the second dose, if you can’t make it at 21 days or 28 days or let’s just say they’re running behind that’s okay it doesn’t make the first dose any less effective," said Neilsen.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management spokesperson says she will be looking into the call centers and see what may be going on with the appointment system.