LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Some coronavirus vaccination events in Nebraska have been canceled because winter weather across the country delayed vaccine shipments.
Health officials in Beatrice and Hastings canceled vaccination appointments that were scheduled for this week because of the delays in shipments, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
"Unfortunately, we have a slight setback in vaccination progress this week," said Michele Bever, executive director of the South Heartland District Health Department in Hastings. "Vaccine shipments are being delayed across the country due to the weather and we have lost hope that we will receive our allotment in time for some 'first dose' clinics this week. We will be rescheduling appointments to next week."
Officials in Beatrice said they will contact everyone who was scheduled to receive a vaccination Thursday to reschedule their appointments.
The West Central District Health Department in North Platte said it has enough vaccine on hand for the appointments it has scheduled this week, but it may have to delay next week's vaccination clinics because of the shipment delays.
The state estimated that 6.5% of Nebraska's population has now received both required doses of the vaccine. Nebraska has distributed roughly 74% of the vaccine doses it has received.
Angie Ling, incident commander for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, said state officials don't know when the weather-delayed shipments will arrive. She said Nebraska companies participating in the federal retail pharmacy program, such as Walmart, haven't received any shipments yet either.
Health officials "anticipate a significant backlog of orders for distribution once operations resume, and every effort will be made to catch up as soon as possible while safely delivering the vaccines," Ling said.
Ling said many other states hit by this week's extreme cold weather are dealing with similar problems. She said Nebraska expects to receive more doses next week.
Felicia Quintana-Zinn, a department administrator, said state officials still expect to be able to offer vaccinations to Nebraska's general population by late April or early May. But she said the state will still give priority to residents who are at least 65 years old because that group accounts for the vast majority of virus-related deaths in Nebraska.