Winter storms have caused icy roads, flight cancellations and power outages across the country this week. The bad weather has also delayed Florida's incoming vaccine delivery.
Florida was expecting 200,000 Moderna vaccines to arrive Tuesday, but the hazardous weather stalled delivery, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which is tasked with the state's vaccine distribution.
"It's a combination of the weather, the ice and then obviously the different logistics that result from that. If you have an appointment, like at Publix for Thursday and they have to delay you, that's almost assuredly why," Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday during a news conference in Manatee County. "So, just have patience on it. There's nothing we can do with the weather in other states."
Moderna's shipment is now expected to arrive Thursday or Friday.
DeSantis said the state has also received the "vast, vast majority"of its allotted Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this week but is still waiting for about 9,000 doses. The state has so far received about 136,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week. The remaining Pfizer doses should arrive later Wednesday or Thursday, he said.
Division spokeswoman Samantha Bequer said the state has notified all vaccine providers about the delay and has asked them to reschedule appointments, if necessary, instead of canceling.
While the second dose should be administered three weeks later for Pfizer and one month later for Moderna, it's OK to get the second dose up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Severe weather delays Florida vaccine delivery. What does it mean for appointments?
The delivery delay forced Publix to cancel plans to make additional appointments available Wednesday. The Florida-based supermarket has been offering vaccines at more than 500 of its stores across the state, including in the Keys and Palm Beach County. None of the stores in Miami-Dade or Broward offer vaccines.
The severe weather conditions have also affected the supplies of Winn-Dixie, Fresco y Más and Harveys supermarkets, which began offering Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in select stores across the state last week.
Jacksonville-based Southeastern Grocers, the trio's parent company, told the Miami Herald in an email Wednesday that the delayed vaccine delivery has affected its ability to offer new vaccination appointments. The company is encouraging customers to continue checking each store's online portal for future updates.
The delays have also likely affected Walmart and Sam's Club, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Miami-Dade County's government also saw a "minimal delay" regarding some of its Pfizer second-dose shipments. However, the shipment has since arrived and workers are in the process of scheduling second-dose appointments starting Friday.
And for those trying to get the vaccine through Jackson Health System, Miami-Dade County's public hospital network, the signs are looking good for you.
As of Wednesday, the snowstorms across the country have not delayed vaccine shipments to the hospital or caused it to cancel appointments, said hospital spokeswoman Tania Leets. Jackson also still had enough doses in stock to open its online portal early Wednesday to schedule a limited number of vaccination appointments.
The CDC told NBC News Tuesday it was expecting "widespread" delays in vaccine deliveries for several days because of the dangerous conditions. Besides Florida, other states have also reported shipment delays or have had to halt vaccinations because of the extreme weather.
