The Beaumont Health System in Michigan is canceling nearly 2,000 consultations for a second-dose COVID-19 vaccine due to an unexpected shortage.
The health system said in a statement on Monday he learned of an “unexpected and significant reduction in the allocation of the Michigan state Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine”, forcing him to cancel 1,884 second-dose appointments that had been scheduled for Thursday.
Beaumont said in his statement that he is prepared to administer 50,000 doses per week, but instead he will only be able to administer 2,200, which is all the state has provided in its recent allocation.
The health system said it had administered more than 100,000 doses since the vaccine became available two months later.
“We are very disappointed to have canceled these commitments. Our teams worked 24 hours a day and throughout the weekend with the state to try to secure the second dose of the vaccine we ordered, ”said Carolyn Wilson, Beaumont Health’s chief of operations, in a statement. “We remain committed to vaccinating patients as soon as possible as soon as we receive our allocated vaccine doses.”
Lynn Sutfin, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement to The Hill that “the state has been working with Beaumont Health last week to reconcile the lack of a second dose. It is a pity that they chose to cancel the second dose appointments, while we continued to work with them on this matter. ”
The Pfizer vaccine should be administered in two doses with an interval of three weeks, while the Moderna vaccine should be administered in two doses with an interval of four weeks. However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the second dose of both vaccines can be administered up to six weeks after the first.