BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – COVID-19 vaccine clinics across the country have been cancelled due to the weather. Despite bad winter weather conditions here in the Mountain State, the vaccination clinic in Beckley saw a decent turnout.
“I think they were calling for a lot more snow and maybe a little more rain than we are expecting so the turnout has been pretty good,” Steve Mooney, Director of Nursing at Access Health said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it expects the severe winter weather to cause widespread delays in vaccine shipments over the next few days. However, unlike other states in the country, the weather has not slowed the vaccine rollout here in West Virginia.
“I think the rollout part of it is getting the vaccine to us. Once we get the vaccine we seem to get it out pretty efficiently. So I think getting it from our hub has been pretty successful. I think overall we have a pretty good rate at getting vaccines and being able to give it to the public here in Raleigh County,” he said.
Mooney said Thursday’s weather wasn’t as bad as some people may have expected. Mooney said the only circumstance that he can predict a vaccination clinic being canceled is if the weather is extremely windy and if temperature hits below 20 degrees, which is the most alarming temperature because of the vaccine being able to refreeze making it unusable.
“Today, at the end of the day there will be 1,100 people vaccinated. So far our no shows for people who just couldn’t make it because of the weather, I think it’s been less than 20 people for the first half of the day and if that remains true it would be less than a hundred for the entire day, which is pretty good. I’m just glad the snow didn’t come like it was and a lot of people made it out today,” he said.
If you were among the few who did not make it their appointment today, you call COVID-19 Vaccine Info Line for help at 1-833-734-0965.
