Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Weather-Fueled Chain Reaction Disrupts Vaccinations Across US
The New York Times: Big Storms Mean Big Vaccine Delays As Bad Weather Wallops The U.S.
Just as vaccine distribution was beginning to gather steam in the United States, brutal winter weather is delaying the delivery of hundreds of thousands of doses across the country. Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projected “widespread delays” in vaccine shipments and deliveries because of weather affecting a FedEx facility in Memphis and a UPS facility in Louisville, both vaccine shipping hubs. Now those projections appear to be coming true. (2/19)
Los Angeles Times: L.A. Postpones COVID-19 Vaccines Amid Winter Weather Delays
Thousands of COVID-19 vaccine appointments scheduled Friday at sites run by the city of Los Angeles will have to be postponed after shipments of doses were delayed by the severe winter weather that’s wreaking havoc across the country. About 12,500 people will have their appointments delayed, and those affected should be notified by text, email or phone, according to a city statement. (Money, Shalby and Lu, 2/18)
Chicago Tribune: Thousands Of Chicago Vaccination Appointments Postponed After ‘Really Disruptive’ Week Of Snow In The Midwest
Thousands of COVID-19 vaccination appointments in Chicago must be rescheduled as the city on Thursday evening still awaited delayed shipments stemming from a winter storm that pummeled the Midwest this week, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. (Yin, 2/18)
Boston Globe: Vaccine Shipments To Mass. Delayed; Baker Ponders Sending National Guard South To Fetch Supplies
As severe cold, snow, and ice grip much of the country, federal officials have informed the Baker administration that this week’s shipment of COVID-19 vaccine doses earmarked for Massachusetts has been delayed and won’t arrive until Monday, state officials said Thursday. Governor Charlie Baker also said that he’d consider activating the National Guard to travel to the storm-battered South to pick up shipments meant for Massachusetts. In a statement, a spokesperson for the COVID-19 Command Center said Baker had reached out to the US government to “offer any assistance” the state could provide. The administration is also “imploring the federal government to rectify the delay immediately.” (Andersen and Saric, 2/18)
