Over 140K People In San Diego County Past Due For 2nd COVID Shot

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CA — More than 140,000 people in San Diego County who received their first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are overdue for their second dose, county health officials announced Thursday.

A single dose of either vaccine is significantly less effective at protecting people from getting sick, especially against new variants of the virus, according to the County Health and Human Services Agency.

• Also see: Unvaccinated Residents Account For Nearly All COVID-19 Cases, Deaths

"A single dose of those vaccines is only 33 percent effective against the more contagious delta variant of COVID-19, which has become the most prevalent strain of the virus in the United States and is likely to become more prevalent locally," said Denise Foster, the county's chief nursing officer and COVID-19 clinical director.

"San Diegans who are overdue for their second shot should take action as soon as possible to lower their risk of getting or spreading the virus."

The recommended spacing of doses is three weeks for the Pfizer vaccine and four weeks for the Moderna vaccine. Health officials, however, recommend people overdue to complete the full two-dose series of the vaccine regardless of how long ago they received their first shot.

Everyone 12 years and older is eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine at no cost. View a full list of hours and locations of vaccine sites in the county.