The extreme winter weather that covers much of the U.S. is causing enough interruptions in vaccinations for the country to take a little longer to achieve collective immunity against Covid-19, potentially increasing the duration of the pandemic, experts said are following the launch. vaccination.
“Any delay now will delay the time it takes to get there,” said Bruce Y. Lee, professor of public health and health policy at City University of New York.
The full extent of the outage is not yet known, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Tuesday that there will likely be “widespread delays” in vaccine shipments and deliveries in the coming days. The announcement came after states and municipalities have already canceled many consultations.
Vaccination interruptions are widespread in part because the weather has affected major shipping centers. According to the CDC, shipments were delayed from a FedEx facility in Memphis, Tennessee, and from a UPS facility in Louisville, Kentucky. They are centers for sending vaccines to several states, the agency said.
Healthcare professionals may be able to reclaim at least a little bit of land when temperatures rise and electricity is restored for millions of people without power in Texas. In Marion County, Alabama, the health department said on Facebook that it was planning an extended clinic schedule on Thursday and Friday “and next week, as needed” to accommodate people whose vaccine appointments were originally scheduled for the earlier this week.
But experts say it is not a certainty that all agencies can get back on track – and that each passing day is invaluable for the vaccination effort.
Lee said that, in the short term, the spread of Covid-19 infections could slow in the most affected states if people stay home and socialize less, but that the harsh climate bringing ice and low temperatures clearly hindered day-to-day work. vaccination diary as soon as possible.
“The effect it can have is long term,” said Lee. “It will only take longer to reach the levels of coverage we need to achieve to slow the spread of the virus.”
Public health officials said more than 70% of the population would have to be vaccinated to achieve collective immunity and contain the pandemic.
Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the Baylor College of Medicine specializing in vaccine administration, said time is of the essence, especially since the spread of new variants of the coronavirus can reinfect people who have previously had Covid-19.
“We are in the middle of a race. We are in a race against these variants, so it really is a crisis, ”said Hotez. “Whatever vaccine we have, now is the time to distribute it.”
A strain first identified in the UK is doubling its reach every 10 days, according to a study published this month.
The South Carolina state health department said it had alerted state suppliers to expect delays in shipments, warning to “check the tracking numbers frequently” provided for your weekly shipments.
But the extreme climate was also making it difficult for clinics to function. Some clinics closed Tuesday in Indiana to Maine, from Michigan to Texas and intermediate places. In Florida, the supermarket chain Public said it was delaying the launch of an online portal to schedule vaccines because of the climate.
Some clinics plan late openings on Wednesday, depending on the weather.
