SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Uncertainty over the pace of federal COVID-19 vaccine allotments is triggering anger and confusion in some states. Governors and other officials are worried that the shipments they expected soon won’t be coming through.
Gov. Newsom's office tweeted California will get COVID-19 vaccines, but not "additional doses as promised."
The developments threaten to escalate disputes between the Trump administration and some states over who is responsible for the relatively slow start to the vaccination campaign. Among the most outspoken state officials was Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. She said Oregon’s efforts to increase vaccinations have been thrown in disarray because of deception by the administration.
During a Friday press conference, Newsom said he and the other governors heard about the news at the same time, despite speaking to Vice President Pence and representatives for the Health and Human Services Department days ago.
To date, Newsom said the state has received three million doses of the vaccine. received 3m to date and anticipates receiving hundreds of thousands more, however he doesn't expect them soon based off the news received.
Jenny Tan, Yolo County's public information officer, believes the county is going to run out of vaccines probably either at the end of this week or earlier next week.
"We did ask the state for more vaccines and we have not yet heard from them about whether they will be able to provide us with more," Tan said. "We do have some second doses that we have reserved and we really want to keep it as second doses, but what the news may mean is that we may need to think about some other strategies if we want to use the second doses as first doses."
A spokesman for the federal Department of Health and Human Services said there may be confusion over expectations, but he said there has been no reduction in vaccine doses shipped to states.