Coronavirus vaccine providers are preparing for a rush to inoculate adolescents as young as 12, even as overall demand for COVID-19 vaccines is dropping locally and nationally.
Martha’s Vineyard Hospital has ordered extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be ready if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves it. Officials have signaled the decision could come shortly.
At least 550 adolescents on the Vineyard would be newly eligible, according to Claire Seguin, the hospital’s chief nurse and COO.
This is a time of transition in the world of COVID-19 vaccination — a time when demand is falling and appointments are open, said President and CEO Denise Schepici.
“There is a bit of [a] disturbing trend we're seeing, statewide and nationally,” she said. “Just as we finally have a robust supply, the demand for the vaccine is dropping, and that is not a good sign.”
Some people have canceled their second dose or not shown up.
Schepici said the situations in India and Brazil show the virus remains potent, and she urged the public to get the second dose.
“We want to remind everyone that your vaccine requires two shots. And if you only receive one, the vaccine will not be fully effective for you,” she said.
Hospital officials said Martha’s Vineyard has plenty of supply, and appointments are easier to get than before. They encouraged people who went off-island for their first dose to schedule a second dose on the Vineyard.