Winter storm disrupts COVID-19 vaccinations, closing clinics and delaying shipments

Ongoing winter storms are hampering COVID-19 vaccine distribution in several states and cities around the United States. Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri said all state-run mass vaccination events scheduled for this week are canceled, but all arriving vaccine shipments will be stored in Missouri State Highway Patrol regions across the state. Missouri will redistribute the doses to community hospitals with emergency generators to enable them to administer the vaccine according to the state’s tiers of eligibility. In Texas, millions of people remain without power, prompting several cities to cancel vaccination appointments. In Harris County, TX, officials attempted to administer thousands of Moderna vaccine doses after the facility storing them lost power. Officials eventually administered 5,410 doses at three hospitals, the Harris County Jail, and Rice University. The remaining doses were saved after Moderna told officials they could be safely re-refrigerated and distributed later, said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Meanwhile, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky said delays due to the closure of regional vaccination sites were “unfortunate,” but said he anticipates vaccine supplies to increase. He said, “We’re hoping what we’re getting right now is a trickle compared to what we will get late spring and moving into the summer.”