Winter weather delays second doses of COVID-19 for some in Georgia
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Georgia might have not gotten its dose of winter weather, but the unprecedented weather event across the country has caused some residents to miss out on their second dose of the coronavirus vaccine, at least for now.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, the Georgia Department of Public Health wrote:
"Winter weather across the country is significantly impacting shipments of COVID-19 vaccine to Georgia. The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) received notification from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that normally would have arrived the first part of this week were held back by the manufacturers due to the weather.
"As a result, many providers statewide, including health departments, are being forced to reschedule appointments for vaccination. Rescheduling appointments will depend on when shipments resume and when the vaccine arrives in Georgia. Delays are expected to continue through the week.
"A limited number of vaccines had left the manufacturing facilities ahead of the winter weather and were assigned tracking numbers. DPH has requested that those shipments be released and delivered as soon as weather conditions permit. DPH will continue to update vaccine providers on when to expect their allocations of vaccine.
"DPH is asking the public to be patient as we wait for weather conditions to improve and vaccine shipments to resume. Your provider should contact you about rescheduling your appointment. For people who were scheduled to receive second doses of vaccine and are worried about not being vaccinated at 3 or 4 weeks, the CDC says second doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may be administered up to 6 weeks after the first dose.
In DeKalb County, the board of health said it will have to need to reschedule all second doses of the Moderna vaccine schedule for Wednesday at the Doraville and Stonecrest sites.
The winter weather has caused an issue with the supply chain of the vaccine.
County health officials will contact those individuals through email and phone calls when new appointments will become available.
Any DeKalb County resident who needs more information can visit dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine or call 888-357-0169.
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