People With First Vaccine Dose Having Trouble Booking Second Appointment in Time

Some people who have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose are running out of time to get their second.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that for the vaccine to be the most effective, second doses must be given within 42 days of the first. For some, missed calls and canceled appointments have that clock ticking.

Renee Joslyn, an essential worker in Loudoun County, Virginia, received her first vaccine dose earlier in February, but due to the snowstorms, her second appointment was canceled.

“From that moment on, there were no local appointments. None. Nothing,” she said.

Joslyn had two days left to get her second dose. With the window closing, her worry wasn't as much for herself, but for her family.

She lost her mother to COVID-19 last year.

The vaccinated population in D.C. may be overestimated in this map because some non-residents who work in D.C. are included in the totals.

“Having gone through that, having my kids gone through that — I don't want to put them through that,” she said.

Loudoun County's health director, Dr. David Goodfriend, said this has been a larger problem.

"On a daily basis we handle this,” he said.

People might've missed an email or phone call to schedule or reschedule, and in some cases, they fall through the cracks.

“We'll get her in for an appointment, as soon as tomorrow if that's what's needed to get her in within 42 days,” Goodfriend said Thursday.

Joslyn received her second dose first thing Friday morning — a day that she has been praying for.

"Well, it's done!” Joslyn said. “I got my second vaccine.”

The health department urges others who are also need their second does but don’t have an appointment to be urgent and persistent. Call and email the health department to tell them when you got your first shot, so they know the clock is ticking.

For Joslyn, the year-long wait is over.

"So relieved,” she said. “I'm just so relieved.”