NEW YORK CITY — Shipping delays brought New York City’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts to “a standstill” this weekend, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said.
The city had fewer than 1,000 first doses and less than 110,834 second doses left, mayoral spokesperson Avery Cohen said in a tweet on Saturday.
Delayed shipments have put our entire vaccination effort at a standstill.
— Avery Cohen (@CohenAvery) February 20, 2021
As of this morning, New York City has fewer than 1,000 first doses remaining on-hand. pic.twitter.com/frXPryVwKS
Winter storms that walloped a large swath of the United States earlier in the week also wreaked havoc on the federal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, officials have said.
Snow and ice halted about 100,000 doses expected to be delivered to New York City, but Mayor Bill de Blasio also blamed the federal government.
“What’s missing is supply. We need the federal government to step up and address these issues,” the mayor said on Friday.
City Health Department officials expect more vaccine deliveries to arrive on Monday.
“After delays due to weather, NYC is expecting deliveries starting on Monday. That means more first dose appointments will open up soon,” the Health Department tweeted Sunday morning.
