Jan Wesner Childs
Shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine could be hampered by a winter storm bringing heavy snow, high winds and coastal flooding to parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday.
Officials with UPS, which is responsible for delivering the recently released Pfizer vaccine to the East Coast, said they are watching the situation closely.
"UPS’s dedicated team of full-time meteorologists monitors weather around the clock, making forecasts that allow our air and ground operations teams to anticipate and respond to changing weather conditions," the company said in a statement, according to WUSA-TV. "We develop contingency plans based [on] weather forecasts and local conditions, enabling our employees to safely deliver what matters most. The safety of our employees is always our first focus. Should roadways or airports be closed we will observe all closures and UPS will be ready to deliver as soon as it is safe."
Governors across the region pledged to do whatever they could to keep distribution going despite any impacts from the weather system, named Winter Storm Gail by The Weather Channel.
(MORE: The Latest Forecast for Winter Storm Gail)
"Vaccine deliveries will continue as scheduled," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a briefing Tuesday night.
In New Jersey, vehicles and personnel supporting hospitals and critical medical needs are exempt from a ban on commercial trucks and other types of vehicles on some interstates during the storm, the Philly Voice reported.
Thirty-five hospitals in the state are expecting vaccine deliveries in the next 24 to 48 hours, Gov. Phil Murphy said in a news conference Wednesday.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said various state agencies were coordinating to monitor the vaccine effort.
"Every agency involved in winter weather preparedness has a role to play in helping to ensure that vaccine distributions proceed smoothly and safely in the coming days," Wolf said in a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Federal officials also vowed to ensure the vaccine's safe distribution.
"We literally know where every truck is, we know where every box is, we track all of that," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told Fox News on Wednesday. "This is FedEx, this is UPS Express Shipping, they know how to deal with snow and bad weather, but we are on it and following it."
(MORE: Winter Storm Gail: Travel Discouraged, Roads Prepped; NYC Mayor Says 'Take This Seriously')
Gen. Gustave Perna, who heads up Operation Warp Speed, told reporters on Monday that the storm "could be a problem," but noted that the agencies involved in distribution were prepared to deal with any disruptions.
“I know you’ve seen the weather report,” Perna said, according to The New York Times. “My responsibility to deliver safe and effective vaccines means get ahead of that problem.”
About 3 million doses of the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech were expected to be delivered to some 600 sites this week, the Times reported. About 500,000 doses were delivered on Monday in the initial rollout after the vaccine was granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Besides potential impacts on vaccine distribution, the storm also caused COVID-19 testing sites to shut down in several areas, including parts of New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
For the latest coronavirus information in your county and a full list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions regarding the disease, check out our dedicated COVID-19 page.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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