Colorado to see 30% reduction in second delivery of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine

Colorado’s second allocation of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will contain nearly 30 percent fewer doses than initially predicted, state officials confirmed on Friday.

Earlier this week, the state received its first shipment of 46,800 doses of Pfizer and began immunizing frontline healthcare workers statewide.

A second allocation of 56,550 doses of the Pfizer vaccine was expected Friday, but state officials say federal Operation Warp Speed ​​has reduced it to 39,780 doses.

This second shipment is expected early next week, state officials said.

Of those nearly 40,000 doses, 25,740 will be transferred to the Center for Disease Control Pharmacy Partnership Program to immunize residents and staff of skilled nursing facilities in Colorado and 14,040 will be allocated to medical providers, the State Joint Information Center said.

As of Thursday evening, 11,016 doses of the Pfizer vaccine had been administered to healthcare workers across Colorado, a likely low number as medical providers have 72 hours to report their immunization activity to the state.

Colorado isn’t the only state to feel this shortfall, as public health officials have realized that the Pfizer vaccine contains six doses per vial instead of the five originally announced by the Food and Drug Administration.

In recent days, governors and health leaders in more than a dozen states have said the federal government has told them that next week’s shipment of Pfizer vaccine will be lower than originally forecast. Few explanations have been offered, leaving many officials perplexed.

“It’s disturbing and frustrating,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, wrote on Twitter on Thursday after learning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the state’s allowance would be reduced by 40%. “We need precise and predictable numbers to plan and ensure success on the ground.”