Mass. says vast majority of residents have been getting 2nd vaccine dose

Wanda Johnson grimaced as Registered Nurse Kelly Hogan gave Johnson her vaccine at the Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center in Boston.Lane Turner/Globe Staff

The vast majority of Massachusetts residents have been getting the second dose of their two-dose vaccines, state officials said Monday.

As of last Tuesday, more than 99 percent of people in Mass. had gotten their second dose within 42 days, the state’s COVID-19 Command Center said in a statement.

The officials noted that people who receive the Pfizer vaccine are supposed to get their shots three weeks after the first, and people who receive the Moderna vaccine are supposed to get their shots four weeks after. But, the statement said, “any time up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose is in accordance with CDC guidance.”

The Department of Public Health is “focused on tracking information across the state regarding first and second doses,” the statement said.

“The health care provider who administers the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is responsible for ensuring that the individual receives their second dose, including making a second appointment for the individual at the time of the first dose or sending a reminder notice to book an appointment,” the statement noted.

The New York Times reported Sunday that nationwide, millions of people are missing their second shots. According to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than five million people who got a first shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines have missed their second doses, the Times said.

Massachusetts has the lowest levels of vaccine hesitancy in the United States, according to federal estimates.

Administration of the one-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is expected to resume this week.

Massachusetts is expected to receive about 4,000 doses of the one-shot vaccine this week, according to the state, after federal officials allowed health providers to resume its use following reports of an extremely rare, though serious, blood-clotting condition.

John Hilliard of the Globe staff contributed to this report.