Maryland is administering the two-shots coronavirus vaccines better than the overwhelming majority of states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A CDC report found that just 1.7% of inoculated Marylanders failed to return for the second shot of the two-dose vaccine, Maryland Matters reported. The CDC defines a missed second shot as one that hasn’t been administered within 42 days of the first.
Maryland’s rate is the seventh-lowest among the states and far below the national average of 3%. Louisiana has the nation’s lowest rate 0.9% while Kentucky (5.4%), Massachusetts (6.7%) and Virginia (7.4%) have the most missed second doses, the CDC report said.
While the first shot offers substantial protection, the second dose is needed to receive maximum protection, health experts say.
Maryland Deputy Health Secretary Bryan I. Mroz said the state has been vigilant in making sure recipients return for the second dose.
“We have a robust system in which we are reminding people,” Mroz said, Maryland Matters reported. “We fully utilize all of the both print and electronic methods to remind people of their appointments and they’ve responded.”
The Food and Drug Administration currently has approved two two-dose vaccines, developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. A third approved vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson only requires a single dose.
