Inclement weather delays COVID vaccine shipments to Maryland and elsewhere, CDC says

Maryland’s already scarce vaccine supply could be strained further as shipments of vaccines from federal government have been delayed because of inclement weather, federal and state officials said Tuesday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told states Tuesday afternoon that vaccine shipments from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna were delayed by winter storms sweeping across the country, Mike Ricci, spokesman for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, said in a tweet.

Ricci said federal officials warned governors earlier Tuesday that winter weather could affect vaccine shipments, and that Maryland health officials had already told local providers Monday about the possibility of delays.

Doses from Moderna were not shipped Monday and doses the company shipped over the weekend will go out for delivery Tuesday depending on local weather conditions, the CDC said. New shipments of the Moderna vaccine scheduled to go out Tuesday will be held back. Shipments of Moderna had to be pulled back last week because of weather, too.

The medical distribution company, McKesson, will reschedule shipments once weather conditions allow them to proceed, the CDC told states.

Pfizer vaccines scheduled to be shipped out Monday were not, while a limited amount of vaccine shipments were being processed Tuesday for shipment through Indianapolis, the CDC said. Meanwhile, vaccine shipments from Pfizer that made it into “local markets” over the weekend for delivery Monday and Tuesday should still make it to providers, pending local weather conditions.

Ricci said in an email the weather-related delays “will have a significant impact our providers.”

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