HOUSTON – More than 51,000 Houstonians are overdue for their second dose of the coronavirus vaccine.
Scott Packard, spokesman for the Houston Health Department, said that 1,132,816 residents of Houston have received at least one dose for the vaccine as of April 21. That’s of the 2,316,797 people eligible to receive it.
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Packard said that 772,572 of those people have received their second dose, but 51,881 of those who have received their first dose are overdue for their second one. Overdue is defined as being more than 42 days past their first dose.
In Harris County, about 3,100 people of the more than 330,000 vaccinated at county clinics have yet to return for their second dose.
In Galveston County, health officials say about 10% of people who have received their first dose have missed their second-dose appointment. Officials said they are working to get people rescheduled and have opened up several clinics to reach those who missed their second shot.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine should be given 21 days after the first dose. The second Moderna dose should be given 28 days after the first. The second shots can be given as far out as 42 days after the first dose if necessary, according to the CDC.
A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of a two-dose vaccine and two weeks after their shot for a single-dose vaccine, according to the CDC.
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