Back for seconds? Tens of thousands in Los Angeles County overdue for 2nd COVID shot

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- As Los Angeles County makes progress in its vaccination efforts, officials say a concerning amount of residents are not getting their second dose of the vaccine.

Figures released Monday showed that nearly 278,000 people in the county may be overdue for their second dose, possibly due to concerns about side effects or a belief that one shot is enough.

As of last week, more than 4.4 million people in the county have received at least one vaccine dose, and nearly 2.6 million had received a second dose, according to Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

But county figures showed 277,902 people were considered overdue for their second dose.

Ferrer said it may be because some people received their first shot outside of the county, they've forgotten or they're wary about the side effects.

However, she said, the flu-like symptoms you may experience after getting the vaccine is a sign your immune system is working. Getting one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines offers some protection against COVID-19, but not as much as two doses.

LA County to resume administering Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine

With the federal government again approving use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, officials announced that the administering of the pharmaceutical company's one-shot vaccine would resume in Los Angeles County with required warning materials about very rare instances of blood clots.

She added the county is also seeing continued declines in hospitalizations among residents 65 and older and in the severity of cases in people that are hospitalized, demonstrating the effectiveness of the shots.

Ferrer said that in many cases, the county has contact information for people who have not returned for a second dose, and will be conducting outreach.

"Unfortunately, we don't have that information for everybody," she said.

City News Service contributed to this report.