CRITICAL UPDATE: Severe weather impacts SJC vaccine supply chain. No clinic tomorrow.

||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT |||

CRITICAL UPDATE Severe Weather Impacts San Juan County Vaccine Supply Chain Impacted Vaccine Clinics: Wednesday 2/17 – ORCAS (Orcas Center):

POSTPONED Thursday 2/18 – SAN JUAN (Fairgrounds):

POTENTIALLY POSTPONED Friday 2/19 – SAN JUAN (Fairgrounds):

POTENTIALLY POSTPONED If you are receiving a vaccine at a clinic other than those listed above, your appointment is not impacted.

Severe winter weather across the United States has disrupted the overnight delivery of vaccine and vaccine supplies from manufacturers to local health districts across the United States, including San Juan County. The recent snow in WA is not the culprit of the disruption, but rather it is from the widespread ice and winter weather in the South and Midwest of the United States.

San Juan County was assigned 1100 doses of vaccine to support the National Guard clinics on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week. Those doses have not arrived today (Tuesday) as scheduled. This disruption is impacting vaccine delivery efforts across WA and beyond, including mass vaccination sites in other parts of the state.

At this time, anyone who is registered for a vaccine appointment should monitor the County COVID Vaccine Page for updates and check their email for direct updates on their specific appointment. It is possible the delay will only be 1 or 2 days. Everyone who is registered will still receive their vaccination when the doses arrive, but timing is unknown at this time.

This is frustrating news for all islanders. The prospect of making great progress led to optimism, and though it is little comfort, rest assured that your local public health team and National Guard staff are just as disappointed. The goal is to restore the operation as quickly as possible, ideally by asking registrants to attend on a different day, but at the same time as their original appointment – but please stand by for details. Patience and flexibility. Thank you.