A Detroit area hospital system canceled nearly 2,000 consultations for the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine after an “unexpected and significant” shortage of supplies.
Beaumont Health said it was notified of a reduction in Michigan’s Pfizer vaccine allocation on Friday, forcing them to nix 1,884 second dose appointments scheduled for Thursday, the health system said in a statement on Monday.
Carolyn Wilson, COO at Beaumont Health, said in a statement that the group was “disappointed” by the setback.
“Our teams worked around the clock and throughout the weekend with the state to try to secure the second dose of the vaccine we ordered,” said Wilson.
The health care system, which includes eight hospitals, said it plans to reschedule appointments for a week later if it receives enough supplies from the state. Beaumont Health said it has the capacity to administer 50,000 doses per week, but this week they have only been supplied about 2,000.
“The state has been working with Beaumont Health last week to reconcile the second dose shortage. It is a pity that they chose to cancel their second dose appointments while we continued to work with them on this issue,” Lynn Sutfin, Michigan Department Health and Human Services spokesman, told NBC News.
Still, Michigan’s largest health care provider said it is “seeking more clarity from the state about these much-needed second doses” and cannot reserve another first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Beaumont Service Center until they receive more supplies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines can be administered up to 6 weeks after the first dose.
The health system said it has provided more than 100,000 vaccines since the vaccine was made available two months ago. According to the NBC News count, Michigan administered about one million doses, with 4.9% of the population fully vaccinated in the state.
“We remain committed to vaccinating patients as soon as possible as soon as we receive our allocated doses of the vaccine,” said Wilson.