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Officials in numerous states, including Iowa, Illinois, Washington, Michigan and Oregon, have said they were recently told they would receive fewer doses than originally intended by the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed.
“We have millions more doses in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received shipping instructions for additional doses,” said Pfizer.
A spokesman for Health and Human Services said the reports on the reduction of allocations from jurisdictions “are incorrect” and that states will generally receive all supplies, although deliveries may be spread over a longer period of time.
“As was done with the initial shipments of the Pfizer vaccine, jurisdictions will receive the vaccine at different sites over several days. This eases the burden on jurisdictions and spreads the workload over several days. This same process was used successfully to the initial distribution of Pfizer’s vaccine, and we are simply applying the lessons learned, “the spokesperson added.
States concerned
That hasn’t done much to assuage concern among state officials, who are already dealing with logistical headaches distributing millions of doses. Since the Trump administration decided not to mandate how states distribute the vaccine, the shipping changes force states to recalibrate a number of decisions and planning, including who gets the doses first.
“This change is disturbing and obviously frustrating,” Casey Katims, federal liaison for Washington state, said in a statement, noting that the delay “will slow down vaccination in long-term care facilities and our ability to protect the most vulnerable “.
“We need reliable, accurate, and predictable information to properly plan and ensure success on the ground for vaccine delivery,” added Katims.
In Oregon, health officials were informed that a shipment of the Pfizer vaccine scheduled for the week of December 20 was reduced by nearly 40%, from 40,950 doses to 25,350.
OWS leadership told Oregon that in order to secure regular allocations going forward, OWS had to reduce the initial allocations and “redirect those doses to later weeks,” Jonathan Modie, Chief Communications Officer for the US Authority, told CNN. Oregon Health.
“It is certainly disappointing, but we also recognize that the vaccine is extremely scarce and that such adjustments must be made from time to time,” Modie added.
A senior administration official said the federal government is releasing doses of Pfizer as soon as they are available.
“There is a difference between the doses that are manufactured and the doses that have completed quality control and are considered releasable,” the official told CNN.
The Iowa Department of Health said in a statement Wednesday that its dose allocation could be lowered by as much as 30%.
“It will take us some time to work on the next steps and adjust our planning,” the department said in its statement.
A senior administration official said the 30% cut in Iowa is not a cut from his total allocation for the week. It is a reflection that not all doses will be delivered first thing on Monday morning of next week. They will be delivered over the next week, this person said.
On Wednesday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said he expects the reduction in vaccine doses “is likely to cut Pfizer’s projected shipments in our state this month by about half.”
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services was informed late yesterday that they would receive 60,000 doses instead of the 84,000 they originally expected, DHHS spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin told CNN. He did not elaborate on the reasons given for the reduction, but said state officials “always said the allocations were subject to change.”
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