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Providers gear up for twice as much vaccine after weather delays

On Monday, the mass vaccination site at the Showare Center in Kent remained closed. The site in Auburn was also closed, and all appointments have been rescheduled.

Storms in the rest of the country interrupted vaccine shipments last week.

This week, the vaccine is starting to arrive, but not before thousands of appointments had to be rescheduled.

“We had about 7,000 we needed to move. We have received our Pfizer. We’re starting that today. Moderna is confirmed but has not shipped yet,” said Dr. Darin Goss, chief executive of Providence Health and Services Southwest. “Not a crowd-pleaser to have to move those.”

Goss said patients were mostly concerned about getting a second dose on schedule. He said they would be able to reschedule appointments in time.

This week, providers will have to catch up. The hospitals and mass vaccination sites reported they can handle twice the capacity. Public Health Seattle and King County stated the mass vaccination sites in Kent and Auburn will reopen tomorrow.