“Transport partners are working to deliver the vaccine whenever possible, depending on local conditions, but adverse weather should continue to impact shipments from FedEx facilities in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as UPS facilities in Louisville, Ken who serve as centers for sending vaccines to various states, “CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said in a statement.
“CDC and federal partners are working closely with jurisdictions, as well as manufacturing and transportation partners, to assess weather conditions and help mitigate possible delays in delivery and cancellations,” she said.
New York City on Wednesday had less than 30,000 first doses on hand due to weather-related shipping delays, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“It means that we will end – today, tomorrow – we will end,” said de Blasio of vaccine supplies.
“In addition, we have the climate problem, across the country there are major storms that are causing delays in shipping.”
Vaccine shipments expected for Tuesday and Wednesday were delayed, he said. As a result, up to 30,000 to 35,000 appointments – or even more – may not be scheduled.
“We will have to retain the appointments that New Yorkers need,” said de Blasio.
The city administered 1,395,956 doses, more than the total population of Dallas, Texas.
Florida sees delay in sending 200,000-dose vaccine
Florida officials blamed the winter weather across the country for the delay in sending 200,000 doses of the Modern Covid-19 vaccine, according to Jason Mahon, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health.
The shipment was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, said Mahon.
The state notified vaccine providers about the delay and asked them to reschedule appointments instead of canceling them, Mahon said.
Florida expects to receive full distribution of the vaccine next week, according to Mahon.
President Biden: ‘The vaccine will be widely available by the end of July’
“What will happen is that it will continue to increase as we go. We will have reached 400 million doses in late May and 600 million in late July,” Biden told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in Milwaukee.
Biden predicted that life could return to normal at Christmas.
CNN’s Sara Weisfeld and Rosa Flores contributed to this report.