PORTLAND, Ore. — As the recently approved Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine continues to be rolled out across the country, Oregon and Washington won’t be getting as many doses as expected when shipments arrive next week.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) on Wednesday night said it originally expected to get 40,950 doses of the Pfizer vaccine during the week of Dec. 20. However, OHA said it is now expecting just 25,350 doses of the vaccine next week, a nearly 40% cut. OHA said federal officials notified them about the change on Wednesday, and no further explanation was given.
An OHA official on Thursday told KGW the number of vaccines given to Oregon may vary and are subject to change.
“We get what we get from the federal government, but we’re constantly advocating for more,” said Jonathan Modie with OHA.
Gov. Kate Brown said she is seeking answers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how reliable projected dose allocation numbers will be.
"We need accurate information to make sure Oregonians are receiving COVID-19 vaccinations as quickly as possible," she tweeted.
Oregon expects to receive 35,100 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week and 48,750 doses the week of Dec. 27, according to OHA.
In addition to the Pfizer vaccine, Oregon expects to receive shipments of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine, which could be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the coming days. OHA said it expects to get 71,900 doses of the Moderna vaccine during the week of Dec. 20 and 31,700 doses the week of Dec. 27.
“If estimated allocations for Oregon are received, state health officials expect health systems will have a sufficient amount of vaccine to provide first doses to more than 100,000 health care workers and long-term care facility residents by the end of the month,” OHA said.
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Washington will also get fewer doses than expected of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine next week, according to Gov. Jay Inslee. Calling it "disruptive and frustrating," Inslee said the state's coronavirus vaccine allocation is being cut by 40% next week.
"We need accurate, predictable numbers to plan and ensure on-the-ground success," Inslee tweeted, adding, "No explanation was given."
According to Inslee, Washington officials were alerted to the cut by the CDC.
Approximately 60,400 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived this week in Washington. Another 160,000 were expected by the end of the month.
With a total of approximately 222,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and an anticipated 180,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, state officials were hoping to vaccinate around 400,000 people by the end of December.
Pfizer said in a statement Thursday it is not having production issues and that no shipments containing the vaccine are delayed.