6 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Backlogged by Weather

Snow and freezing temperatures have led to a backlog of six million Covid-19 vaccine doses in the U.S. after a three-day delay in shipping, Andy Slavitt, a senior White House adviser on the virus, said Friday at a Covid-19 task force briefing.

There are 2,000 vaccination sites in places without power and the U.S. is holding doses initially bound for those sites until power is restored, Slavitt said. The weather has kept delivery workers home and closed roads across the U.S. as Texas and the East Coast experienced snow and ice.

Slavitt said he expects the backlogged doses to be delivered next week at the latest, with most going out in the next several days as roads are cleared and power is restored. The Biden administration is asking vaccine sites to extend their hours to make up for lost time, Slavitt said.

He said the government is opening five new vaccination centers -- four in Florida and one in Pennsylvania. The sites are intended to increase vaccine equity and reach vulnerable populations. Those in Florida will be able to vaccinate 12,000 people daily and the one at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia will be able to administer 6,000 shots daily.