Florida stops reporting those overdue for 2nd vaccine shot

The Florida Department of Health’s updated daily vaccination report no longer lists the thousands of people overdue for their second shot of COVID-19 vaccines.

The state’s daily update includes total doses administered to date, including how many have received the first dose, and how many have received a second dose completing the regimen of either the Moderna or Pfizer shots to be considered fully immunized.

As of Wednesday’s report, though, one previously reported feature, those overdue for their second shot, was no longer listed.

The report released Tuesday showed that 44,470 people were overdue for their second shot.

Florida DOH Communications Director Jason Mahon detailed the reasoning behind the change, saying it was to align with CDC reporting.

The CDC guidance in its FAQ online reads, “You should get your second shot as close to the recommended 3-week or 1-month interval as possible. However, there is no maximum interval between the first and second doses for either vaccine. You should not get the second dose earlier than the recommended interval.”

“This number is being removed as it may cause confusion related to the following CDC guidance,” Mahon said. “Based on this guidance, no one is overdue for their second dose, but rather, will be eligible for their second dose.”

The state DOH still recommends getting the second dose at 28 days for the Moderna vaccine and 21 days for the Pfizer vaccine.

The availability of doses for those who need the second shot is increasingly in short supply. The state has been receiving about 265,000 doses of the vaccine from the federal government each week. Sen. Rick Scott said on Wednesday the state will be getting another 266,100 next week, which would put the state’s supply at more than 2 million doses delivered to date.

But vaccination efforts statewide have ramped up after the new year, and as of Thursday’s report, the state has already administered 1,306,983 doses, between both first and second shots. From Jan. 6-12, that total was more than 400,000 and from Jan. 13-19 it’s more than 340,000. Recent totals may increase with successive reports as well because of a lag in reporting from some of the vaccination sites.

So the supply from the federal government is less than the state’s capacity.

“We are also working directly with counties and local providers to make sure individuals are being proactively scheduled to receive their second dose,” Mahon said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has stated several times in the last couple of weeks that he has asked for double the supply from the federal government, but with the new Biden administration taking over as of Wednesday, it’s uncertain what changes will occur. Biden did say that states won’t be penalized for lagging in vaccination by shifting some of their allocation to more efficient states, according to Jeff Zients, the White House official directing the national response.

“We are not looking to pit one state against another,” Zients told Associated Press.

DeSantis had emphasized Florida’s need with its larger population of 65 and older - 4.5 million - and attempted to display the state’s capacity to deliver the vaccine. He downplayed an idea put forward by the Biden administration of setting up massive vaccine centers across the nation set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Instead, he stated he thought the federal government should just get more shots into the hands of the states and let them enact their vaccination plans.

Several vaccinations sites around the state including the drive-through location in The Villages, though, have had to put appointments on hold as their existing supplies from Florida have run out.

And DeSantis said in a news conference this week he expects several hundred thousand seniors to be due for their second shot each week come February.