Many Americans Appear to be Skipping Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine
Thailand steps up travel restrictions among a rapidly spreading third wave of the disease.
In the United States, a worrying issue has been uncovered: millions of Americans are skipping their second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. It has been discovered that roughly 5 million people, or 8% of those who have received a first dose, have not showed up to their second appointment to receive their shot. That is more than double the rate that occurred in the first weeks of the vaccine rollout. Public health experts are worried, and plan to gear up a more aggressive campaign to try and get people to vaccinate.
In other news, the Biden administration is set to supply India, who is being ravaged by the coronavirus, with raw materials for vaccine creation, diagnostic testing kits, ventilators and personal protective gear. India is currently reporting record daily COVID-19 numbers, with the past 5 days breaking world records for case numbers. Despite this, fewer than 10% of Indian citizens have been fully vaccinated, as many have criticized the government’s inoculation efforts.
Lastly, the European Union has announced that American citizens who have been fully vaccinated will be able to visit this summer, after more than a year where nonessential travel has been shut down. The news is a welcomed sign that life is somewhat returning to normal.
United States
228.66 million
68.37 per 100
China
224.9 million
15.63 per 100
India
139.19 million
10.09 per 100
United Kingdom
46.25 million
68.13 per 100
Brazil
38.03 million
17.89 per 100
Germany
25.45 million
30.37 per 100
Turkey
21.13 million
25.05 per 100
France
19.54 million
28.67 per 100
Indonesia
18.57 million
6.79 per 100
Russia
18.15 million
12.44 per 100
Data Table per Our World in Data (April 26, 2021, 12 AM EST)
In the US, vaccination rates are falling despite a high national caseload fueled by variants of COVID-19. On Saturday, more than 50,000 new cases were reported, similar to numbers from the second wave that occurred during this past summer. However, average vaccine doses being given each day have dropped to their lowest level since the end of March.
California
28,798,648
72.88 per 100
Texas
17,979,089
62.00 per 100
New York
14,732,987
75.73 per 100
Florida
14,462,795
67.33 per 100
Pennsylvania
9,527,786
74.42 per 100
Illinois
9,011,738
71.11 per 100
Ohio
8,002,870
68.46 per 100
New Jersey
6,908,470
77.77 per 100
Michigan
6,769,798
67.78 per 100
North Carolina
6,727,991
64.14 per 100
Data Table per CDC COVID-19 Tracker (April 25, 2021, 6 AM EST)
For more information on COVID-19 vaccination research, distribution, and assessment, check out some of these recent Contagion stories:
One Dose of mRNA Vaccine May Be Enough for Older COVID-19 Survivors
CDC’s ACIP Votes to Reaffirm Recommendation of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine
Public Health Watch: Efforts Needed to Improve Diversity in COVID-19 Vaccine Trials
