SALIDA, Calif. — Some say they forgot to get their second COVID-19 vaccine dose and others say they can't find the time to make a new appointment. But whatever the reason, nearly 50,000 people in Stanislaus County have yet to get their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
"We are encouraging all of these community members who have missed their second shots to please go in and finish your series of shots so you can get full protection," said Kamlesh Kaur, spokesperson for the Stanislaus Public Health Services Agency.
Protection for COVID-19 is dramatically different if one shot is skipped. Protection is only at 33% for one dose, but jumps to 88% after two doses, according to Stanislaus County health officials.
The highly contagious Delta variant is sparking a new urgency for people to be fully vaccinated.
Kaur said some people are skipping the second dose because they think that their second shot reactions would be similar or that there was some interference with their schedule.
The Stanislaus County Public Health Services Agency is going through a long list of names and re-contacting people to encourage them to get both shots.
24-year old barber Joe Gallegos is among those who refuse to get any dose of the vaccine.
"The people I have known that had COVID, ya know, it wasn't that big of a deal, and I guess I kind of kept that mindset," Gallegos said.
A barber for three years, he is also married and father to a five-month-old daughter.
Just a few years ago, he says he suffered from a severe flu that put him in the hospital for five days. But, even that is not enough to convince him to get the shot.
"Especially because it's not like 100% guaranteeing you from actually getting COVID, I don't really see the need to like get it," Gallegos said.
County officials point to this grim statistic for the immediacy to get fully vaccinated.
Since vaccinations began in December, all 354 deaths in Stanislaus County from COVID-19 were unvaccinated people.
Three additional deaths are still under investigation as to their cause.
In Southern California, Los Angeles County health officials are strongly recommending the wearing of masks in indoor public places regardless of vaccination status because of the rise of the Delta variant.
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