Winter Storm Disrupts COVID-19 Vaccinations, Closing Clinics And Delaying Shipments

HOUSTON, Feb. 15, 2021 — The on-ramp to a highway is closed due to snow and ice in Houston, Texas, the United States, on Feb. 15, 2021. Up to 2.5 million customers were without power in the U.S. state of Texas Monday morning as the state’s power generation capacity is impacted by an ongoing winter … Continued

Chengyue Lao / Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images

The massive storm sweeping across the country isn’t only bringing subzero temperatures and widespread power outages to much of the U.S., it’s also putting a freeze on COVID-19 vaccine distribution in several states and cities.

In Missouri, Gov. Mike Parson announced on Monday that all state-run mass vaccination events scheduled for this week are canceled, citing safety concerns brought on by the extreme weather.

“Missouri is experiencing severe winter weather that makes driving dangerous and threatens the health and safety of anyone exposed to the cold. These conditions will also likely delay some vaccine shipments,” Parson said. “We want to protect the safety of everyone involved in the mass vaccination events, from the patients being vaccinated to the volunteers who generously support these events.”