HOUSTON (AP) – A giant vaccination center is opening in Houston to administer 126,000 doses of coronavirus over the next three weeks. Nevada health officials are working overtime to distribute delayed vaccines. And Rhode Island is rescheduling appointments after a vaccine shipment did not arrive as scheduled earlier in the week.
From coast to coast, states were struggling on Tuesday to recover vaccinations a week after winter storms hit a large part of the United States and led to clinic closings, appointment cancellations and shipping delays across the country. .
But limited supply of the two approved COVID-19 vaccines has made it difficult to keep up with vaccinations, even before extreme weather conditions delayed the delivery of around 6 million doses.
The White House promised on Tuesday that aid is on its way.
States can expect about 14.5 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine this week, a nearly 70% increase in distribution over last month, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday. . And White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients told governors on Tuesday that the number of doses sent directly to pharmacies will increase by about 100,000 this week, said Psaki.
Intensified efforts occur when the death toll of COVID-19 in the U.S. exceeds 500,000, far more than in any other country.
More than 44 million Americans have received at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, and about 1.4 million a day have received the first or second dose in the past seven days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although the daily average of deaths and cases has dropped, some experts say that not enough Americans have been inoculated for the vaccine to be the reason. Instead, the decline is attributed to the end of the vacation, more people staying home during the winter and better adherence to the rules of mask and social detachment.
In addition, they warn that dangerous variants can cause the trend to reverse. States are responding as they try to recover from last week’s break and prepare to vaccinate more people in the coming weeks.
The federally funded Houston vaccination site will open on Wednesday at NRG Park, operating seven days a week for three weeks to distribute 126,000 first doses, before the transition to second doses, officials said.
Texans are recovering from a devastating winter storm that killed at least 35 people, left millions without power and water and delayed vaccinations.
“It’s been trauma after trauma, and people deserve good news, some hope,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s elected chief authority.
In Buda, Texas, retired teachers Donna and Gerald Haschke, both 74, were due to receive their second dose last week, but their appointments were canceled three times because of the storm. They are scheduled to receive doses on Thursday.
The couple is eager to get fully vaccinated after months of having to reduce all their activities because of the coronavirus. Gerald Haschke has cardiac stents and Donna Haschke has atrial fibrillation, she said.
“My cardiologists said, ‘You don’t want to get COVID,'” said Donna Haschke. “I said, ‘No, I don’t.’ For me, it was a warning that I need to stay home. ”
In Mississippi, where COVID-19 vaccinations plunged last week amid freezing temperatures and icy roads, health officials were automatically rescheduling appointments and planned to schedule more than usual over the weekend.
The state Department of Health reported on Monday that only 32,540 vaccines were administered in the state last week, down from 106,691 the previous week.
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak said on Monday that 46,000 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, which had been delayed by the weather, had started arriving in the state. The head of the state’s Department of Child, Family and Community Welfare said employees would work overtime to administer these doses along with regular shipping scheduled for this week.
President Joe Biden said that every American who wants a vaccine will be able to get it by the end of July.
But demand continues to outweigh the limited supplies distributed by the U.S. government.
Executives from five companies with US supply contracts – Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Novavax – testified on supply issues on Tuesday before the Congressional Energy and Commerce Committee.
Looking ahead to the summer, executives at Pfizer and Moderna said they hope to complete delivery of 300 million doses each, and J&J plans to deliver an additional 100 million doses – more than enough to vaccinate all American adults.
Arizona will increase vaccinations by opening its fourth state-run mass vaccination clinic, officials at the state health department said. In addition, transportation costs to and from vaccination appointments will now be covered for people enrolled in Arizona’s Medicaid program, said Governor Doug Ducey.
“This change will make it easier for our most vulnerable Arizonans … to be vaccinated,” said Ducey.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said 11 mobile clinics will open in California’s vast Central Valley, an agricultural region that has been hit hard by the coronavirus. They will be used primarily to vaccinate rural workers who do not have transportation to larger vaccination sites or are unable to browse the state’s online registration portal.
Newsom said the state is also sending 34,000 extra doses of vaccine to that area from a pharmacy that was not using them fast enough.
Meanwhile, Tennessee’s top health official said on Tuesday that more than 2,400 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine went to waste last month in Shelby County, which covers Memphis, while local authorities took tens of thousands of injections that they thought were already taken into the arms.
Health commissioner Lisa Piercey said that a Department of Health investigation over the weekend found problems dating back to February 3 that included spoiled doses, an oversupply of vaccines, insufficient record keeping and no formal process for managing expiring vaccines in soon. A federal investigation is also expected.
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Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan. Associated Press writers Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Kansas; Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee; Mark Pratt in Providence, Rhode Island; Michelle Monroe in Sacramento, California; Michelle Price in Las Vegas; and Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report.