A new report shows more than 5 million Americans have not shown up to get their second COVID-19 vaccination dose. The rate of people missing their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine has more than doubled since vaccine rollout began. The 5 million people account for roughly 8 percent of those who have received a first dose of the two-shot vaccines.
While some people could not get the dose because of availability, several sat they were afraid of the side effects or said they felt protected by one dose. Most health experts agree that 70 to 75 percent of the U.S. population needs to get vaccinated to reach herd immunity. Some parts of the nation are close to reaching herd immunity.
Federal health officials say nearly 229 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines are now in the arms of Americans. The CDC website shows more than 290 million doses had been distributed nationwide as of Sunday.
According to the latest update, nearly 140 million people had received at least one dose and well over 94 million are now fully vaccinated. Nearly 8 million shots have been given in long-term care facilities nationwide.