The winter weather pattern that is causing snow and ice throughout the nation and that has caused a massive power outage in Texas is also causing problems for vaccine distribution.
Winter weather across the country is significantly impacting shipments of COVID-19 vaccine to Georgia. The Georgia Department of Public Health received notification from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that normally would have arrived the first part of this week were held back by the manufacturers due to the weather.
As a result, many providers statewide, including health departments, are being forced to reschedule appointments for vaccination. Rescheduling appointments will depend on when shipments resume and when the vaccine arrives in Georgia. Delays are expected to continue through the week.
A limited number of vaccines had left the manufacturing facilities ahead of the winter weather and were assigned tracking numbers. The health department has requested that those shipments be released and delivered as soon as weather conditions permit. The department will continue to update vaccine providers on when to expect their allocations of vaccine.
State health officials are asking the public to be patient while weather conditions to improve and vaccine shipments resume.
Your doctor should contact you about rescheduling your appointment.
For people who were scheduled to receive second doses of the vaccine and are worried about not being vaccinated at 3 or 4 weeks, the CDC says second doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may be administered up to 6 weeks after the first dose.
For updates on COVID-19, follow @GaDPH and @GovKemp on Twitter and @GaDPH and @GovKemp on Facebook.
