Winter Weather Delays COVID-19 Vaccine Shipments To Georgia

Cars and trucks enter a mass vaccination center on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021 in a large event center in Marietta, Ga., where the North Georgia State Fair is held.

Jeff Martin / AP Photo

Officials in Georgia say snowy and icy weather across much of the nation has “significantly” delayed shipments of COVID-19 vaccine to the state.

The Georgia Department of Public Health said in a statement that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that normally would have arrived the first part of this week were held back by the manufacturers due to the winter weather.

The agency said that as a result, health departments and other vaccine providers have been forced to reschedule appointments. When those shots can be administered will depend on when vaccine shipments resume and when they arrive in Georgia.

Officials said delays are expected to continue through the week.

Vaccine shipments have also been delayed to a large part of Alabama because the shipper, McKesson Corp., has weather-related problems at its terminal in Memphis, Tennessee, said Ryan Easterling, a spokesman with the Alabama Department of Public Health.

“Vaccine allocated to Alabama will be shipped when weather conditions allow, and clinics will be scheduled accordingly,” he said in an email.