Winter weather across the country is significantly impacting shipments of COVID-19 vaccine to Georgia. The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) received notification from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that normally would have arrived the first part of this week were held back by the manufacturers due to the weather.

As a result, many providers statewide, including health departments, are being forced to reschedule appointments for vaccination. Rescheduling appointments will depend on when shipments resume and when the vaccine arrives in Georgia. Delays are expected to continue through the week.

A limited number of vaccines had left the manufacturing facilities ahead of the winter weather and were assigned tracking numbers. DPH has requested that those shipments be released and delivered as soon as weather conditions permit.

DPH will continue to update vaccine providers on when to expect their allocations of vaccine.

DPH is asking the public to be patient as we wait for weather conditions to improve and vaccine shipments to resume. Your provider should contact you about rescheduling your appointment.

For people who were scheduled to receive second doses of vaccine and are worried about not being vaccinated at 3 or 4 weeks, the CDC says second doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may be administered up to 6 weeks after the first dose.

Of additional note, the DPH announced that there would be a delayed opening in Dade and Floyd Counties for COVID-19 testing.

Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District free COVID-19 test sites in Dade County, 71 Case Avenue, Suite H-100, Trenton, and Floyd County, Rome Fair Grounds, 1400 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd., Rome, scheduled for Wednesday, February 17, will delay opening until 11 a.m., due to forecast inclement weather.

The Dade site will operate from 11 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Floyd site will operate from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.