Getting vaccinated against the coronavirus isn’t going to be a one-off experience; health officials say it will be administered in two separate doses, with the second shot coming 21 to 28 days after the first.

But what happens if a person doesn’t get the second shot within that time frame Not much, says Moncef Slaoui, co-head of Operation Warp Speed. He says a person can go five weeks or more between doses without losing the vaccine’s effectiveness.

But that’s not to say a person should go that long. Because we’re in the midst of a pandemic, and because the full effects of the vaccine don’t kick in until both doses are administered, Slaoui recommends getting the second shot as soon as possible.

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