Rhode Island getting far less COVID-19 vaccine doses than expected next week – The Boston Globe

PROVIDENCE Rhode Island will receive 3,900 fewer doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine than it had expected next week an unexplained 36 percent reduction, Governor Gina M. Raimondo announced Thursday.

The state Department of Health learned on Wednesday that the states allocation of the Pfizer vaccine for the week beginning Dec. 21 has been slashed from 10,725 doses to 6,825 doses, she said.

We have heard accounts of similar reductions in other states, and no clear explanation has been provided by Operation Warp Speed, Raimondo said. We are calling on the Trump administration to honor its commitments and provide the full allocation to Rhode Island.

Meanwhile, the state will continuing distributing the vaccine to front-line healthcare workers, and officials will evaluate the impact of the reduction on its vaccine plans.

The states COVID-19 Vaccination Subcommittee is scheduled to meet at 7:30 a.m. Friday.

Raimondo is scheduled to provide her weekly update on the coronavirus at 1 p.m. Friday, and Dr. Philip A. Chan, an infectious disease doctor with the state Department of Health, will provide a detailed vaccine update.

On Monday, amid much fanfare, Dr. Christian Arbelaez became the first person in Rhode Island to receive Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine.

Lifespan which runs Rhode Island, Hasbro Childrens, The Miriam, Bradley, and Newport hospitals received 1,950 doses of Pfizers vaccine on Monday morning, several hours ahead of schedule. Shortly after Lifespan received the shipment, the Rhode Island COVID-19 Vaccine Subcommittee voted to recommend that hospitals begin vaccinating front-line hospital workers.

Hospital staff who have direct contact with COVID-positive patients or COVID-positive infectious fluids or materials are first in line for the vaccine, though some health experts have suggested that densely populated infection hotspots, like Central Falls, R.I., should be prioritized.

Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @FitzProv.

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Rhode Island getting far less COVID-19 vaccine doses than expected next week - The Boston Globe