If you need to schedule a "double shot" for the COVID vaccine, pharmacists urge you that it's best to keep the second appointment.

Iowa's News Now says that a rash of second-appointment cancelations has been reported, up to 30 percent in some Iowa counties. The "every man or woman for himself or herself" mentality is prominent as vaccines have opened up to all over age 16, with still a relatively limited supply. Folks either get cold feet or want to find a closer, earlier appointment. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, it's best to keep your second appointment at the time and location you schedule it. There are a variety of reasons for this. Number one is for consistency's sake.

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It causes an inconvenience to doctors when patients cancel common medical appointments, and COVID vaccines are no different. If you still insist on canceling an appointment because you found a closer location and earlier appointment or you just don't want to go, you should still do the courtesy of communicating with the provider as soon as possible.

Those who don't show up for their second appointment leave an unused dose. It's then left up to the providers to scramble to find someone to take that dose so it does not go to waste. Unused or rescheduled doses delay the process of getting vaccines to all those who want them.

Brett Barker of the NuCara pharmacy chain said:

"Providers shouldn't be in the situation to police that. Especially towards the end when they said we could only do seniors, for all the seniors we would call, they would already be vaccinated, so we were spending a lot of time trying to get the stragglers."

So, you're encouraged to be patient and keep your vaccine appointments. You'll do yourself, your fellow Iowans, medical providers, and pharmacists a favor.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

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