MADISON, Wisconsin (WMTV) – Gov. Tony Evers and state health officials on Friday called on the federal government to send more Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Wisconsin after being told Thursday they would receive lower doses than they thought.
“This is unacceptable,” Governor Evers said. “Wisconsin citizens deserve the vaccine promised by the federal government.”
According to a press release, the state will receive only 35,100 doses of vaccine. Governor Evers pointed out that this is much lower than the 48,725 originally allocated to Wisconsinites. As of Friday, Wisconsin had nearly 452,000 positive cases and 4,315 deaths.
“Our health care workers and long-term care residents need this vaccine that is ready and available,” the governor said.
Officials have asked the federal government to give them reasons why vaccines are allocated as they are. Governor Evers said health workers are working 24 hours a day to distribute the vaccine, but this weekend’s announcement of fewer shipments than expected makes planning “extremely difficult”.
Little explanation was given for the delays, but senior Trump administration officials on Thursday cited confusion over semantics, while Pfizer said its production levels had not changed.
Several other states say they have also been told to expect fewer doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the second week of distribution.
California, where an explosion in cases causes intensive care units to the point of rupture, will receive 160,000 fewer vaccine doses than state officials had anticipated next week – a reduction of about 40%.
Missouri Health Director Dr. Randall Williams said his state will receive 25 percent to 30 percent less vaccine next week than expected. A statement from the Iowa Department of Public Health said its allocation would be “reduced by up to 30%, however we are working to obtain further confirmation and details from our federal partners.”
Michigan’s shipment will drop by about a quarter. It has also been said that Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire and Indiana should expect smaller shipments.
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