In Orleans, 433 have skipped second shot of vaccine

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 May 2021 at 12:11 pm

In Orleans County, 433 people have skipped their second appointments for a Covid-19 vaccine. Not getting the second shot makes the vaccine less effective.

The Finger Lakes Covid-19 Vaccine Hub provides a breakdown of nine counties in the region and the percentage of people who have not got the second vaccine shot within six weeks after the first one.

The 433 who didn’t come back for the second shot represents 3.7 percent of the people who should either get the second shot after 21 days with Pfizer or 28 days with Moderna.

The 3.7 percent is Orleans is lower than Yates, at 4.5 percent, and Genesee, at 4.2 percent, among the nine counties in the region.

Paul Pettit, public health director for Orleans and Genesee counties, “strongly encourages” people to get their second shot to be fully vaccinated.

“We’ve heard from many that end up out of town, not feeling well, some even on quarantine when they were supposed to come back,” Pettit said. “We will work with folks that have missed their appointments and get them in to another clinic to make sure they get fully vaccinated as soon as they can.”

Public health officials, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, urge people to still get the second shot, even if it’s past the desired timeframe. The second shot, even after more than six weeks, increases the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Here is a breakdown of how many haven’t come back for the second dose within six weeks in the nine counties in the Finger Lakes:

  • Genesee – 4.2%, 837 people
  • Livingston – 3.3%, 734 people
  • Monroe – 2.8%, 8,831 people
  • Ontario – 3.6%, 1,768 people
  • Orleans – 3.7%, 433 people
  • Seneca – 3.1%, 345 people
  • Wayne – 2.8%, 870
  • Wyoming – 3.5%, 421
  • Yates – 4.5%, 390

Throughout the nine-county region 14,629 individuals have not received their second shot within six weeks, as of April 22, the Finger Lakes Covid-19 Vaccine Hub reported.

This represents 3 percent of all people with at least one dose, and doesn’t include the Johnson & Johnson vaccine with is one-shot only.

The 3 percent is much lower than the national average of 8 percent, which has been reported by the CDC.

The Finger Lakes Covid-19 Vaccine Hub reports that older ages have the highest rates of missed second shots, with 65-74, 75-84 and 85-plus age groups missing at 4.1%, 4.9%, and 7.0% rates of second doses, respectively.