PHOENIX — Major winter storms across the U.S. are delaying crucial COVID-19 shipments to Arizona, the Arizona Department of Health Services said Tuesday.
Some appointments scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday have been canceled, but the department didn’t say how many Arizonans will be affected.
The department has not said if those canceled appointments will be rescheduled in the future.
The cancellations affect people scheduled for the Moderna vaccine. The department said the state has a large enough supply of Pfizer’s vaccine to keep appointments for now.
“Vaccine supply over the next few days is really limited due to the weather,” said Banner Health Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Marjorie Bessel.
To date, 92.5% of the total number of doses ordered in Arizona have been used.
The federal government has allocated to Arizona 85,800 Pfizer doses and 90,800 Moderna doses for a total allocation of 176,600 doses expected to be delivered across the state this week.
ADHS says both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines weren’t shipped Monday due to the weather, however, shipments from the weekend intended for this week are expected to be delivered today.
Maricopa County tells us they are not canceling appointments at this time and will continue to evaluate the supply and coordinate with the state.
Pima County is concerned. The state’s second-largest county tells us they will meet their vaccination goals today but they are unclear about the rest of the week.
Officials in Coconino County had to cancel 1,800 appointments.
“Due to the prolonged delay and limited vaccine supply, Coconino County and some of our partner vaccination sites must cancel and reschedule first dose appointments that have been scheduled for tomorrow and Friday,” said the Director of Health and Human Services Coconino County Kim Musselman.
Mohave County officials also said it "remains unclear when providers will receive their allocation for this week" due to the severe weather.
"As a result, several providers have already or will be canceling scheduled appointments due to a lack of vaccine," a county spokesperson said.
While Arizona has enjoyed temperatures in the 70s, large swaths of the nation have been affected by a massive winter storm.
Texas and much of the northeast U.S. have been buried with unprecedented levels of snowfall, leaving millions without power and several people dead.
ADHS says the department has been in touch with federal and local departments as the nationwide effort to end the pandemic continues.
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