Updated: Vaccine still in short supply as weekly shipments show modest increase

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Delaware’s vaccination tracker reported that the state received  23,450 doses of Covid-19 vaccine, short of the number needed to make major headway in vaccinating those in Phase 1B.

Shipments had been running under 20,000 doses a week.

The 1B category includes about 200,000 people who are over 65, along with selected essential workers. The smaller Phase 1A included frontline health care workers and some first responders.

Tight supplies of vaccines have led the state to push back the start of Phase 1C, a category that includes younger people with medical conditions and essential workers. 

Figures as of Saturday

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Doses delivered 
162,050
Doses administered
149,830
Doses remaining
12,220
 
With vaccines in tight supply, the  Delaware Division of Public Health shifted gears by scheduling vaccination events for those awaiting a second dose.
 
In January, mass vaccination events led to a long list of people who are now nearing the recommended period for the second dose of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine tracker reported that more than 31,000  people had received both doses. 

The CDC tracker shows more available doses than the state figure. That could reflect the multiple locations where vaccines are being delivered and delays in reporting.

A dashboard from NPR  ranked Delaware in 11th place in the percentage of the population getting at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine. The state had been in the top 10.

The Biden Administration has indicated that vaccine shipments will increase in the coming weeks while acknowledging the challenges of getting shots into a nation’s arms with 330 million people.

Delaware and other states are waiting for emergency approval of the Johnson & Johnson one-dose. That vaccine would be a game-changer, according to Gov. John Carney. Trials on the fourth vaccine from AstraZeneca are continuing. The vaccine could be up for consideration this spring.

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