With COVID vaccines in short supply, Middle Georgians struggle finding second doses

Even for eligible Georgians, finding a COVID-19 vaccine has been difficult, with just over 1.5 million doses allocated to the Peach State and fewer than 800,000 administered as of Wednesday evening.

But Middle Georgians who were able to find an initial dose have encountered another challenge: securing the second shot, also known as a “booster.” While area hospitals scheduled a second dose after the first inoculation, the health district that serves 13 Middle Georgia counties did not.

That’s changing this week, according to North Central Health District spokesperson Michael Hokanson. And the NCHD is calling individuals who previously received an initial dose from the health district to plan a follow-up dose. But even scheduling a second vaccination doesn’t ensure you’ll receive it, Hokanson said, because of a shaky supply system that has failed to meet demand.

“Unfortunately, so far, we have consistently received fewer doses than we have requested,” he said. “If we don’t have enough doses to honor the appointment, then we will have to reach out to reschedule.”

What if I don’t get a second dose?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends different time frames for receiving booster shots, depending on the vaccine’s manufacturer. For the Pfizer vaccine, the FDA recommends a second shot after 21 days; for Moderna, it’s 28 days.

But what happens if a second dose isn’t available? Amber Schmidtke is a former assistant professor of microbiology at Mercer’s School of Medicine who specializes in medical microbiology and immunology. Schmidtke also produces a daily report on COVID-19 data.

“The timing of the vaccine doses is meant to take advantage of your immune system’s cycle,” she said, adding the suggested time frame is based on studies performed during the FDA approval process for the vaccines. “I don’t know that there is necessarily a time where it becomes less effective.”

Schmidtke emphasized that the second shot is important, and people should try to get it as close to the target date as possible. Georgians who dealt with symptoms after the first dose shouldn’t avoid a second: those symptoms mean the vaccine is working.

“Your body is dedicating resources, including energy, so you may feel some fatigue towards that effort,” she said. “We would rather you have that yucky feeling of your immune system responding to something that functionally can’t hurt you than having COVID itself.”

Answering the phone

Hokanson said the NCHD is calling folks who have received an initial dose, but those who don’t answer the phone will lose their spot.

“We have got hundreds and hundreds of people to call and, unfortunately, not everyone answers their phones or the voicemail is full,” he said. “We are attempting to reach everyone, but if we can’t get a person, we have to move on.”

Even an appointment doesn’t ensure a vaccine. While Hokanson said the district has been able to fulfill every appointment so far because they’ve scheduled for the supply of doses on hand, the vaccine availability is difficult to predict. It’s dependent on how quickly Pfizer and Moderna can produce and ship the vaccine, and how many doses are allocated to Georgia health departments. Until recently, Georgia was allocating 40,000 doses to nursing homes that will now go to regional health districts.

“This is a situation where a lot of people want to be vaccinated at once and there is not going to be an ideal way to do that,” Schmidtke said. “I think something to keep in mind is we are asking local health districts and departments to manage a very complex task when they are underfunded and understaffed. We could really benefit from a more centralized approach.”

Finding a second dose

Eligible Middle Georgians can schedule vaccination appointments with the NCHD, when they’re available, by calling 478-749-0179 or 1-844-987-0099. Healthcare providers, employees and residents of long-term care facilities, adults age 65 and older and first responders are eligible.

The NCHD covers Baldwin, Crawford, Hancock, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Macon-Bibb, Monroe, Peach, Putnam, Twiggs, Washington and Wilkinson counties.

Private pharmacies, including those at Georgia Krogers and Publix, also received vaccine doses, but as of Wednesday evening, most private pharmacies either didn’t have doses or had scheduled all of their doses.

This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM.