5 Things To Know Amid Concerns About 2nd COVID Vaccine Dose In NJ

NEW JERSEY — The state's rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine became even cloudier this week when New Jersey health officials were inundated with questions about when to receive a second dose.

And now there's growing anxiety that people may miss the window for getting the second shot because they never got an appointment for it.

Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli and Gov. Phil Murphy are appearing at news conferences and on TV and radio call-in shows to try to answer every single question thrown their way. Patch provided a breakdown of their answers below.

What they're saying is this: The system could be better. There are kinks. But Murphy says they're working to fix it and they're urging patience as they continue to develop and manufacture a system "from the ground up."

Murphy says that the Trump administration "overpromised and underdelivered" on COVID vaccines, but he says the Biden administration is now delivering enough doses to the state that should put New Jersey back on track.

"I'm confident we'll get there. It's not going to be as early as we'd like," he said about the state's goal of vaccinating nearly 5 million people with both doses. "I think in the summer we're going to be in a whole different place."

The questions continue as the state Department of Health has confirmed that at least two sites hadn’t followed state protocol of scheduling appointments for patients to receive a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and a shortage of doses that caused two sites to halt operations.

“We know that many residents are concerned about assuring that they will receive the second dose of the vaccine,” said Persichilli.

The commissioner is now clarifying state protocols, offering guidance for those who hadn't received an appointment for their second dose and announcing a schedule for the state's vaccine hotline.

Here's what to know:

When should you get a second dose (and when is it too late)?

State health officials said the second dose should be received as close to the recommended follow-up date as possible. For Pfizer, that means 21 days after the first dose, and 28 days for the Moderna vaccine.

However, Persichilli said there is “no known loss of efficacy” of the second dose as long as it is received within six weeks of the first dose.

“We don’t want anyone to panic if it’s not exactly at the 21-day, or 28-day, limit,” said Persichilli.

The reason for this clarification is likely a persistent lack of available doses.

“Everyone who wants to get vaccinated will be able to get a vaccine when the supply is available,” said Persichilli. “Right now the supply is very limited.”

How should you schedule an appointment for a second dose?

Persichilli said patients should be asked to schedule a second appointment on the day they receive their first dose. The second appointment should also be at the same location as the first.

If you registered for your vaccine through the state’s scheduling system, you will be automatically scheduled for a second dose and will receive an email notification with additional details.

“The department is working with sites to ensure they are able to make this happen,” she said.

Not only that, Persichilli and the DOH are “reinforcing” the policy that second appointments should be scheduled immediately after the first dose is received.

If you didn’t register through the state’s scheduling system, and never received an appointment for a second, contact the site in which you received your vaccination to schedule an appointment.

If you’re still unsure, call the state hotline: 855-568-0545.

And what about patients at the Gloucester County mega-site?

If you received your first vaccination at the Rowan College site before officials began using the state’s scheduling system, Persichilli said you will be contacted directly by a representative from that site.

“The Gloucester County mega-site has already begun contacting individuals to schedule their second dose appointment,” Persichilli said.

Consider this damage control for the Gloucester County-run site after the State Department of Health received numerous complaints that patients were never scheduled for a second appointment.

That wasn’t the only problem for the site, however, since officials were forced to close it down Monday after they ran out of doses.

READ MORE: NJ Says COVID Vaccine Sites Must Schedule 2nd Doses. Some Didn't.

Will there be a place to call if I have questions about the second dose?

The COVID vaccination call center will have operators available to assist anyone that needs a second dose appointment, starting Sunday.

From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the call center can be contacted at 855-568-0545, seven days a week.

The call center has already received plenty of calls after it was announced Monday, with officials reporting 17,000 phone calls in the first hour.

"We expected a lot of people calling and they did," said Murphy. "We are doing our best even with the limited weekly supply (of the vaccine) we are receiving."

Will I have a reaction to the second dose?

Health officials say it's possible, but it shouldn't stop you from getting it.

"There are people who are not coming back for the second dose purposely," said Eddy Bresnitz, COVID-19 medical adviser for New Jersey..

State officials have noticed that some are opting out of receiving the second dose, citing concerns over a reaction from the first dose.

"They're concerned that if they come back for a second dose they're going to have an even bigger reaction," he added.

The most common reactions are headaches and a sore arm, but "serious adverse events" are low, Bresnitz said.

"I think we all just want to urge those people to come back for the second dose," said Bresnitz. "You need to come back to get the maximal efficacy out of the vaccine."