Considering people’s complaints this morning after arriving at sunrise to queue for the vaccination of their second dose and encountering the cancellation of the trial, National Guard Adjutant General José Reyes confirmed that the planned shipments of the second dose, so they have to cancel and reschedule appointments.
“The shipments coming to Puerto Rico are not coming as planned,” said Reyes, who said Moderna and Pfizer production is not at the expected pace.
“Today we are starting with a limited number of second doses. On Monday, a shipment of doses would arrive in Puerto Rico for resupply. It did not arrive, it is scheduled to arrive today. People who have already been scheduled will get an appointment for the next 24 to 48 hours, ”Reyes explains in a radio interview (WKAQ580).
The National Guard’s adjutant general asked people not to despair, because scientists have explained that if you get the second dose in 28 days, that dose … The CDC has said that up to 42 days, in fact 6 weeks.
Reyes indicated that in the National Guard vaccination centers when the amount of vaccines runs out, they ask people not to leave the lines because they schedule new appointments within a 24 to 48 hour period.
The official explained that they receive between 75 and 80 thousand doses of vaccines every week between the first and second dose. He couldn’t immediately give a breakdown of how they were vaccinated between the first and second dose. Reyes indicated that Moderna has increased the doses they produce, which is why Puerto Rico now receives about 50,000 first-dose vaccines every week.
Reyes later provided WKAQ580 with the following vaccine data:
- 544,825 vaccines received in Puerto Rico
- 481,005 vaccines distributed to suppliers
- 325,714 vaccines administered to date
As for the delivery they were waiting for yesterday, the official said they expect the shipment of vaccines to arrive on the island today.
Police, firefighters and other first responders have denounced that the process for the second dose was chaotic as it was characterized by long lines starting from the early hours of the morning.