Beaumont Health has canceled some scheduled second doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, citing an unexpected shortage of doses from the state.
Beaumont announced Monday that it would cancel 1,884 second dose appointments scheduled for Thursday.
The health system cites an “unexpected and significant reduction in Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine allocation from the state of Michigan.”
Beaumont said it’s working to reschedule those appointments for next week, if the state follows through with enough doses. The health system “is also seeking more clarity from the state on these much needed second doses.”
“We are so disappointed that we had to cancel these appointments. Our teams worked around the clock and throughout the weekend with the state to try and secure the second dose vaccine we requested,” Beaumont Health Chief Operating Officer Carolyn Wilson said in a statement. “We remain committed to vaccinating patients as quickly as possible as soon as we receive our allocated doses of vaccine.”
The U.S Centers for Disease Control recommends a three-week interval between the necessary two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, but it’s possible to go for up to six weeks.
In an email, state health officials called Beaumont’s decision to cancel the vaccine appointments “unfortunate” because “we were continuing to work with them on this issue.”
“The state has been working with Beaumont Health for the past week to reconcile their second dose shortages,” said Lynn Sutfin, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
