Central Coast counties report vaccine delays due to weather conditions nationwide
CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION) Central Coast health officials say they are seeing COVID-19 vaccine shipment delays due to weather conditions around the country.
Dr. David Ghilarducci said vaccines are delayed in all three counties. In San Benito County, he said some first dose clinics were canceled, and he said Santa Cruz County is doing some "last minute shuffling."
In Monterey County, vaccine eligibility was set to be expanded Wednesday to include:
- Residents in Phase 1a
- Residents aged 75 and older
- Residents aged 65 and older at risk of exposure while working in food and agriculture, childcare and education or emergency services
- Residents aged 65 and older in these zip codes: 95012, 95039, 95076, 93933, 93955, 93901, 93905, 93906, 93926, 93927, 93930, 93960
Health Officer Dr. Edward Moreno said some vaccine orders placed last week may not have arrived yet, so they may need to wait to vaccinate the newly-added groups until more doses arrive if the current inventory is already set aside for others.
Officials say no clinics have been canceled at this point because they do not schedule clinics until they have the doses available.
Monterey County does not have a delivery date for this week yet. Moreno said vaccines usually arrive on a Monday or Tuesday, and Wednesday through Friday clinics rely on them.
CNN reports that two major shippers, UPS and FedEx, have major hubs or warehouses in the South, an area currently experiencing severe weather conditions. The National Association of County and City Health Officials expects that delays could continue for the next week or two, but the shippers say they have contingency plans in place to lessen the impact.
US government expects ‘widespread delays’ in Covid-19 vaccine shipments due to severe weather
