COVID-19 vaccinations in the Philippines still has a long way to go, since only a small percentage of the population has received their first dose. However, according to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF in 3rd quarter of 2021, about 1 million people have missed their COVID vaccine second dose timing1.
Why is it important for people to get their COVID vaccine second dose? What could happen if you miss your dose, and can you get vaccinated at a later time? Read on to find out the answers to these questions, and more.
COVID vaccine second dose timing: Why is it important?
Vaccines are one of the most important, if not, the most important medical achievement in modern history. This is because vaccines have allowed us to not only stop the spread of disease, but even eradicate some of them completely. More recently, vaccines offer one of the best solutions to halting the spread of COVID-19.
Vaccines do this by improving our immunity against certain diseases. Under normal circumstances, exposure to disease gives us immunity2. For example, if we get sick with chickenpox as a child, our body develops immunity to that disease. This means that we already have antibodies that are specifically “trained” to fight chickenpox.
Vaccines work similarly by triggering an immune response within our body. As the immune response gets triggered, our immune systems “learn” how to defend the body from that specific illness when exposed again in the future. However, the benefit of vaccines is that we don’t need to get “sick” or expose ourselves to disease in order to gain immunity.
Why do you need the COVID vaccine second dose?
As effective as vaccines are, there are situations where a single dose is not enough. This is the case when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine. The first dose is enough to trigger an immune response, but as far as effectiveness is concerned, a single dose is not enough.
This is why the COVID vaccine second dose comes in. Researchers found that after some time, the immunity provided by the first dose tends to plateau. Getting a second dose can help increase the effectiveness of the vaccine3.
In addition, we’re still not sure how long the immunity provided by the Covid vaccine lasts. Having 2 doses ensures that you stay protected, for longer.
Essentially, the second dose acts as an additional shot to make sure that there is only a small chance that you’ll get sick. This is very important as it not only protects your health, but it also prevents you from spreading the disease yourself to others.
What if you miss your second dose?
Here in the Philippines, there have been reports of people not showing up for their second dose. Whatever the reason is, it is important to get vaccinated on schedule as much as possible. The COVID vaccine second dose timing is important, since the sooner you get vaccinated, the more effective the vaccine would be.
But what can you do if you miss your second dose? The best thing to do would be to still get vaccinated as soon as you are able. While it’s generally not a good idea to miss your vaccine schedule, it’s better to get COVID vaccine second dose later rather than not at all.
Be sure to get in touch with your local health office, and inform them that you’ve missed your second dose. Once they give you a schedule, be sure to bring your vaccination card as this is your proof that you have received your first vaccine.
Key Takeaways
The COVID vaccine second dose timing is very important. As much as possible, be sure to follow your vaccination schedule, as this protects you, as well as other people, from infection. The sooner that a majority of the population gets vaccinated, the less we need to worry about further Covid-19 outbreaks.
In the meantime, it’s still important to wear a mask and follow all of the regular safety protocols for added safety.
Learn more about the Coronavirus here.
