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UPDATE: On Friday, Cuomo said, "The federal government previously informed New York that the winter storms impacting much of the country have delayed nearly all shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine, and since then we have been in constant contact with our federal partners to track any incoming shipments and make the necessary adjustments to our operations.
"We have now been informed that shipments of the Pfizer vaccine that should have been delivered already but were delayed due to weather are scheduled to arrive by Monday, and orders placed within the last 48 hours will be sent after, with expected arrival on Tuesday and Wednesday. Delayed shipments of the Moderna vaccine should arrive by the middle of next week, with orders placed within the last 48 hours expected to arrive next Thursday and Friday.
"We will continue to track these shipments closely over the coming days and keep New Yorkers informed about any changes in existing appointments. At this time, no appointments at state-run sites have been rescheduled due to these shipping issues. In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to get shots into arms as quickly and fairly as possible so we can defeat this beast once and for all."
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday night issued the following statement on vaccine shipping delays:
"The federal government has informed New York that nearly all COVID-19 vaccine doses allocated for week 10 – which were scheduled to be delivered between Feb. 12 and Feb. 21 – are delayed due to the winter storms continuing to impact much of the country. Every dose that should have shipped on Monday was held back, and only a limited number of Pfizer vaccines left shipping facilities on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"This delay will undoubtedly pose a logistical challenge for New York – but as we have shown over the last 350-plus days, we are ‘New York Tough,’ and we are up to the challenge. The Department of Health is working closely with all providers, including local health departments, hospitals, pharmacies and FQHCs to minimize the impact on their operations and reduce the number of appointments that must be rescheduled. The vaccine is the weapon that will win the war against COVID, and we will continue to work with our federal partners to expedite the delayed shipments and will keep New Yorkers updated over the coming days."