DALLAS, Texas — Through the lens of a Zoom interview, wearing dark-rimmed glasses, Raleigh Sanford of Rowlett told WFAA Thursday that he's lucky to have received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
But the 58-year-old, wrestling with stage 2 kidney failure, is wondering if he'll end up getting his second booster shot on time.
Sanford, who is eligible to get the vaccine by being in the state's 1B group, got his first shot at a local Walgreens on Jan.10.
He's supposed to return for his second dose in a matter of days, but was told something troubling when he called the pharmacy for instructions about an appointment.
"After my shot, I called back about scheduling my second, and he told me that the best I can do is call back in three weeks," Sanford said. "The pharmacist just did not know if they would have the booster."
Several other North Texans recently vaccinated at local pharmacies told WFAA the same story under the guise of anonymity.
Many of them are trying to find a second dose through the Facebook group "DFW Covid Vaccine Finder."
And it's not a surprising conclusion, considering the slow rollout of vaccines nationwide.
Thousands of vaccine appointments are being canceled or postponed because of supply not meeting demand.
New York City alone canceled 23,000 appointments this week because of a dwindling supply of shots.
Delayed deliveries, states getting fewer doses than expected and scheduling issues have pushed people like Sanford to conclude that he may not get a second dose within the prescribed window of 21 or 28 days.
"I really think the logistics are holding it up," Sanford said. "You just kind of have to wait patiently."
Dr. Phil Huang, the Director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, admitted Thursday that vaccine availability is a limiting factor to distribution right now.
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"Nationwide, everywhere, there's just not a lot of vaccines," Huang said.
The state allows Dallas County 9,000 vaccines per week currently, and the county ran out of doses at its Fair Park vaccination hub by Thursday night.
Appointments will continue on Monday.
Huang said that more than 300,000 people are still on the county's waitlist to get vaccinated.
"That's going to take a long time at this rate to get to those 300,000 who have signed up, and the list keeps growing every day," Huang said. "And that's just a fraction of the 2.7 million people living in Dallas County."
President Joe Biden has set a goal to administer 100 million shots in his first 100 days.
Fewer than 18 million have been administered as of right now, per the CDC.
Huang said that the state is guaranteeing a second dose for every first dose given.
But when Sanford was told that his vaccination location may not have a second dose for him, he asked what to do next.
"They told me to just wait until my timeframe to get the second dose, and then to try and schedule an appointment online," Sanford said.
One woman belonging to the DFW Covid Vaccine Finder Facebook group was in a similar situation when she spoke with WFAA.
She said her husband got his first dose at an area Walgreens and was told to just try and schedule an appointment around the 21-28 day timeframe for the second one.
No guarantees, however.
Health experts across the country are trying to play down fears, saying that the timing of the second vaccine dose doesn't have to be exact.
"The second dose should be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible," according to the CDC's website Thursday.
"However, if it is not feasible to adhere to the recommended interval, the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines may be scheduled for administration up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose."
Huang also stressed that you should get your second dose from wherever you got your first dose to avoid allocation discrepancies.
Sanford still has some time. He's actually already had COVID-19 and survived, so he's got nothing but hope to hold onto, he says.
"I'm old enough to know that everything tends to work out," Sanford said. "So I will just keep calling and keep working on it until I get the booster."