WISCONSIN — Governor Tony Evers and state health officials called on the federal government Friday for more COVID-19 vaccines and clarity on COVID-19 vaccine allocations after there was a shortage in doses that were initially allocated for.
Evers and state officials are asking for more of the vaccine after they were informed Wisconsin would only be getting 35,100 doses of Pfizer, which is much less than expected after the initial doses allocated this week 49,725.
A 30-percent decrease in Wisconsin’s Pfizer allotment from this week to next week has Governor Evers fired up.
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Dr. Ben Weston is the Medical Services Director for Milwaukee County’s Office of Emergency Management. Dr. Weston received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine Friday at Froedtert Hospital, but he knows more than 400,000 healthcare workers across Wisconsin are eager to follow.
"Certainly it’s going to be critical to get as many doses as we possibly can,” Dr. Weston said.
Evers is far from the only governor feeling shortchanged. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer expressed frustrations after learning her state will receive 24,000 fewer doses than anticipated next week.
”Where are our doses? What is holding them up? When can we expect them?” questioned Governor Whitmer during a news conference Friday.
A Pfizer spokeswoman said, "We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses."
Operation Warp Speed, which was created by President Trump’s administration, is responsible for deploying the vaccine. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said there’s no decrease in doses.
“We’ll work to clear up any misunderstanding they’ve got, but really it’s just a miscommunication between the governors and us,” Azar said.
Governor Evers isn’t just asking for more vaccine, he wants the federal government to give the state more notice as to when shipments will arrive to avoid logistical challenges.