HOUSTON (AP) – A giant vaccination center opens in Houston to deliver 126,000 doses of coronavirus over the next three weeks. Nevada health officials work overtime to distribute delayed shots. And Rhode Island is rescheduling appointments after a vaccine shipment doesn’t arrive as planned earlier this week.
Coast-to-coast states were scrambling Tuesday to catch up on vaccinations for a week after winter storms ravaged much of the US, leading to clinic closures, canceled appointments and backlogs in shipments across the country.
But the limited supply of the two approved COVID-19 vaccines hampered the vaccination rate, even before extreme weather slowed the delivery of about 6 million doses.
The White House promised on Tuesday that help is on the way.
States can expect about 14.5 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine this week, a nearly 70% increase in distribution over the past month, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. And White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients told governors on Tuesday that the number of doses sent directly to the pharmacy will increase by about 100,000 this week, Psaki said.
The heightened efforts come as the death toll from COVID-19 in the US exceeded 500,000, far more than in any other country.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 44 million Americans have received at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, and about 1.4 million received a first or second dose per day in the past seven days.
While average daily deaths and cases have declined, some experts say not enough Americans have been vaccinated to give the vaccine the reason. The decrease is instead attributed to the passing of the holidays, more people staying indoors during the winter, and better adherence to mask regulations and social aloofness.
In addition, they warn that dangerous variants can cause the trend to reverse itself. States are responding by simultaneously trying to catch up from last week’s hiatus and making an effort to vaccinate more people in the coming weeks.
Houston’s federally funded vaccination site will open Wednesday in NRG Park, seven days a week for three weeks to distribute 126,000 first doses, before switching to second doses, officials said.
Texans are recovering from a devastating winter storm that killed at least 35 people, left millions without power and water, and delayed vaccinations.
“It’s been trauma after trauma, and people deserve good news, some hope,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s elected chief official.
In Buda, Texas, retired teachers Donna and Gerald Haschke, both 74, were due to receive their second dose last week, but their appointments were canceled three times due to the storm. They will receive a dose on Thursday.
The couple is eager to get fully vaccinated after having to scale back all their activities for months due to the coronavirus. Gerald Haschke has heart stents and Donna Haschke has atrial fibrillation, she said.
“My cardiologists said, ‘You don’t want to get a COVID,'” said Donna Haschke. “I said, ‘No, I don’t.’ To me that was a warning that I had to stay at home. ”
In Mississippi, where COVID-19 vaccinations plummeted last week amid freezing temperatures and icy roads, health officials were automatically rescheduling appointments and planning to schedule more than usual during the weekend.
The Health Ministry said on Monday that only 32,540 vaccinations were given in the state last week, up from 106,691 the week before.
Nevada government Steve Sisolak said on Monday that 46,000 doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine delayed by the weather had begun to arrive in the state. The head of the state’s Bureau of Child, Family and Community Wellness said officials would work overtime to administer those doses, along with this week’s regular shipping.
President Joe Biden has said that any American who wants a vaccine can get one by the end of July.
But demand continues to outpace the limited supply of the US government.
Executives of five companies with contracts to supply shots to the US – Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Novavax – testified Tuesday on supply issues before Congress’ Energy and Commerce Committee.
Looking ahead to the summer, Pfizer and Moderna executives said they expect to deliver 300 million doses each, and J&J is aiming to deliver an additional 100 million doses – more than enough to vaccinate every American adult.
Arizona will increase vaccinations by opening its fourth state-run mass vaccination clinic, health department officials said. In addition, transportation costs to and from vaccination appointments will now be covered for people enrolled in the Medicaid program in Arizona, said Governor Doug Ducey.
“This change will make it easier for our most vulnerable Arizonans to get vaccinated,” said Ducey.
Gavin Newsom, the California governor, said 11 mobile clinics will be opened in California’s vast Central Valley, an agricultural region badly affected by the coronavirus. They will mainly be used to vaccinate farm workers who do not have transportation to larger vaccination sites or cannot navigate the state’s online application portal.
Newsom said the state is also sending an additional 34,000 doses of vaccine to that area from a pharmacy that was not using them fast enough.
Meanwhile, Tenessee’s top health official said on Tuesday that more than 2,400 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were lost in Shelby County, which includes Memphis, in the past month, while local officials were on tens of thousands of shots they believed had already disappeared. in the arms.
Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said a Department of Health investigation over the weekend found issues dating back to Feb. 3, including tainted doses, an excessive vaccine inventory, inadequate administration, and no formal process to administer soon-expiring vaccines. A federal investigation is also expected.
Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan. Associated Press authors Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Kansas; Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee; Mark Pratt in Providence, Rhode Island; Michelle Monroe in Sacramento, California; Michelle Price in Las Vegas; and Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report.