After waiting more than a year to get your first COVID-19 vaccine shot, imagine being told at the last possible moment that the appointment to get your second shot — needed to gain full immunity — has been canceled.
It happened to Ashley J. Dearborn.
Less than 24 hours before she was scheduled to get a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, Walgreens nixed the Chicago resident’s appointment.
As you can imagine, Dearborn, 58, was not thrilled. She told the Chicago Tribune:
“I freaked out because I thought, ‘How can you cancel? It’s less than 24 hours.’ I have to go through this whole merry-go-round, Hunger Games scenario again (to make an appointment).”
Unfortunately, Dearborn was not the only one inconvenienced. Walgreens informed others that their appointments were being canceled as well. Walgreens had enough of the Moderna vaccine, but had run out of the Pfizer vaccine.
What should you do if you end up in similar circumstances?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that if you receive a vaccine that requires two shots, you should get your second shot:
- Three weeks after the first if you are getting the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
- Four weeks after the first if you are getting the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
The CDC urges you to get the second shot as close to those timetables as you can. The CDC adds that you should not get the second dose early. On the other hand, it says that in a pinch, you can wait up…
