600 Riverside County Vaccine Appointments Rescheduled Due To Weather-Related Shipment Delays
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) — Severe weather across the country, which delayed vaccine shipments to California and shut down vaccination sites in Los Angeles and Orange counties, are also impacting the rollout in the Inland Empire and Ventura County.
Orange County's biggest vaccination site at Disneyland was abruptly shut down Thursday, and a clinic that just opened on Tuesday will have to close on Saturday due to the supply delays. The city of Los Angeles was also forced to postpone appointments for thousands of people because of supplies that were held up by winter storms across the country.
In Riverside County, about 600 appointments for this week had to be rescheduled due to a shortage of Moderna vaccine doses, according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Four vaccination locations were impacted: the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio, San Gorgonio Middle School in Beaumont, Tahquitz High School in Hemet, and Heritage Hills High School in Menifee.
Riverside University Health System spokesman Jose Arballo said the appointments will be rescheduled for early next week, pending the delivery of additional Moderna doses.
Ventura County said its shipments were also delayed by the winter storms, but appointments were not canceled at county-run sites. However, if the supply delays continue, appointments for next week may need to be changed, according to the Ventura County Star.
Kaiser Permanente, one of the state's partners in vaccine rollout, also reported delays of their COVID-19 supplies. A spokeswoman said they may need to prioritize second doses over immunizing more patients with first doses if supplies run low in the areas that have been affected.
