CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Hundreds of COVID-19 vaccination sites in Chicago did not receive shipments Tuesday following an overnight snowstorm, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health.
During an online Q and A session, Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said more than 100 vaccine providers did not get their expected shipments Tuesday, because most of the city's vaccine supply comes from Tennessee - one of the many states hit this week by a winter storm bringing things to a standstill.
The storm also closed all COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites operated by the City of Chicago on Tuesday. But, according to Dr. Arwady, all canceled appointments will be rescheduled.
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“We can control a lot of things, but we can’t control the weather,” Arwady said. “Obviously we can’t have people coming if we don’t have vaccine to put in arms.”
According to CDPH, the city's weekly vaccine shipments come between Monday and Wednesday, but with the President's Day holiday falling on Monday and the overnight snowstorm effecting shipments on Tuesday, this week's shipments will be delayed.
Dr. Arwady projects the shipment won’t take longer than a few days to arrive, and in the meantime there is no concern of the doses spoiling, because the storage facilities have the proper temperature controls, the Tribune reported.
“Particularly in the South, they’re not used to handling large weather events like this,” Arwady said. “As vaccine gets here, we will work to get it out.”