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Officials: Most Mass. Residents Getting Their 2nd COVID Vaccine Shot

Vaccine hesitancy and a refusal by some to get a second dose are worrying health officials across the country — but not here in Massachusetts.

Gov. Charlie Baker addressed the issue during a press conference Tuesday, saying, "We don't have a lot of hesitancy in Massachusetts with respect to getting vaccinated."

He said that "north of 99%" of the state's eligible population gets their second vaccine, which he credits to vaccination sites booking second appointments while patients are still in the waiting room after receiving their first dose.

For the vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna, U.S. health officials recommend scheduling second doses three weeks or four weeks, respectively, after the first dose. But guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a second shot from either manufacturer within six weeks is also acceptable.

The state's COVID-19 Command Center confirmed to The Boston Globe Tuesday that more than 99% of Bay Staters had indeed received a second dose within those six weeks.

In a survey from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Massachusetts has some of the lowest rates of vaccine hesitancy in the country.

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