CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The powerful winter storm that pummeled the Midwest and South this week has had a ripple effect on COVID vaccinations.
"The main thing is just needing more vaccine," said Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady.
The Chicago Department of Public Health said this week's weather triggered shipment delays in COVID vaccinations from Tennessee and Kentucky, which typically arrive in the beginning of the week.
"There are part of this country that are not as set up as we are here to handle large amounts of snow, ice, power loss, etc." Dr. Arwady said. “I don’t have any concerns about it impacting long-term efficiency.”
She said those shipments shouldn't take more than a few days to arrive.
By Thursday evening, CDPH spokesman Andrew Buchanan wrote in a statement, no Moderna doses have arrived in Chicago this week, while Pfizer vaccines were canceled Monday and sent Tuesday and Wednesday in “limited numbers.”
Dr. Arwady said those shipment delays will mean thousands of people will have to reschedule their COVID shots.
"There has needed to be some rescheduling of appointments...It’s been a really disruptive week for everybody. We can’t control the weather. That’s just the way it is. We will, though, absolutely catch up on this.”
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This week, the city had expected 17,550 first doses of Pfizer vaccine and 26,500 first doses of Moderna on top of 4,250 first doses shipped directly to pharmacies through a federal program. CDPH did not provide numbers on how many total doses the city was waiting on as of Thursday night.
For people who had been scheduled to get their second COVID vaccine dose, either at three weeks or four weeks depending upon whether they were getting the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, Dr. Arwady said the vaccine will still work if they get it before the sixth week.
"The good news is that the CDC, specifically, has said that you can get those second vaccines up to six weeks after they would have been scheduled for the second dose without anticipating issues related to efficacy or protection," she said.
Dr. Arwady said one in 10 Chicagoans has been vaccinated so far, and one in four senior citizens.
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