Winter Weather Causes Delay in Vaccine Delivery

The winter storms in the southern part of the United States have caused a delay in shipments of COVID-19 vaccines for St. Louis County.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY – St. Louis County’s COVID-19 vaccine shipments are being delayed by the winter storm in the southern U.S. Because of that, three vaccination clinics scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday this week have been canceled. It’s affecting several hundred people who were set to receive their first dose of the Moderna vaccine. Those affected will be notified by email to schedule a future appointment when the vaccines arrive.

Public health officials say St. Louis County is experiencing a decline in COVID cases averaging about 20 new cases a day compared to more than 200 cases a day on average just weeks ago.

No COVID variants have also been found in the area. Experts say that doesn’t mean they aren’t here, but rather they haven’t been identified through testing.

“We still want to see people following the recommendations,” said Amy Westbrook, the public health division director for St. Louis County. “We are optimistic about the decrease in the case rates in St. Louis County and across Minnesota but we know that variants are circulating.”

At this point, no clinics involving second doses have been affected by the delay in the vaccine delivery. The public health department is already adjusting staffing to expand availability later in the week once doses arrive.