Thousands of appointments to the COVID-19 vaccination scheduled for Friday at Los Angeles City-run sites have to be postponed after delivery delays were delayed by severe winter weather causing devastation across the country.
About 12,500 people will delay their appointments, and those affected should be notified by text, email or phone, according to a statement by the city.
“Heavy weather across the country has disrupted travel and shipping nationwide, including the delivery of our vaccines,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Our city is ready to deliver COVID-19 vaccines quickly, safely and fairly, and once doses arrive in Los Angeles, we’ll get them in the arms of people immediately.”
But by Thursday night, some reports had already appeared of individuals fearing the offer would run out sooner than expected. In Dodger Stadium, traffic was halted for hours when staff with appointments told residents they were waiting for more vaccinations, without further details.
Officials said the conversion would only affect the city’s large-scale vaccination facilities. Vaccinations of mobile clinics run by the city will continue.
The City of Los Angeles operates vaccination sites at Hansen Dam, San Fernando Park, Lincoln Park, Pierce College, Crenshaw Christian Center and Dodger Stadium.
City officials said two shipments were suspended due to bad weather: 26,000 doses, which would arrive earlier Tuesday, are still in Kentucky, and 37,000 more, which will be used next week, are in Tennessee.
The weather should halt operations at the LA County-run vaccination sites, including Pomona Fairplex, the Forum, Cal State Northridge, the County Office of Education, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Balboa Sports Complex and El Sereno Recreation Center.
“At present, there are no weather conditions on the vaccination sites operated by Los Angeles County,” officials said in a statement Thursday afternoon. ‘Los Angeles County continues to be eligible for people who schedule second-rate appointments at the state-run sites. It is not yet known what impact will be felt next week. ”
LA is far from alone in the pinch when it comes to vaccines. A series of powerful winter storms halted much of the United States, unleashing days of freezing rain, ice, and snow, dispelling power, and creating treacherous travel conditions.
Jeff Zients, who leads President Biden’s COVID-19 task force, said in a newsletter on Wednesday that the weather was affecting delivery and distribution companies.
“People are working as hard as they can because it’s important to get the vaccines to the states and suppliers,” Zients said, “but there is an impact on deliveries.”
San Diego County Superintendent Nathan Fletcher said during a weekly COVID-19 update that the supply lines to the sites where Pfizer and Moderna made their vaccines were currently simply frozen. The main manufacturing facilities for the two COVID-19 vaccines in the country are in Massachusetts and Michigan.
“Both, as well as the routes from here to here, have been affected by the snow and winter weather conditions we see nationwide,” he said. “It’s going to affect our ability to administer vaccines this week.”
In Orange County, officials had to temporarily close their Disneyland super-vaccination center after an expected delivery of Modern vaccines failed to arrive Tuesday.
The site will close from Thursday to Monday, officials said. A venue at Santa Ana College will also close temporarily from Saturday, and its reopening will depend on supply.
A representative of the California Department of Public Health could not immediately say on Thursday how widespread the disruption of the vaccine is, but confirmed that California is one of the states affected by delays. ‘
Officials in Fresno County said 7,800 doses of Moderna were tied up due to the weather and that they had not been delivered by Thursday morning.
“We do not have a date on which these doses will be delivered at this time,” Joe Prado, divisional manager for community health at the provincial department of public health, said in a statement. “We are working with community medical providers to provide the necessary doses of our stock this week to prevent the cancellation of appointments.”
Some vaccinations also had to be resettled in Santa Barbara County this week after an expected grant of Moderna vaccine “was delayed due to severe weather conditions across the country,” officials said in a statement.