US winter storms delay vaccine distribution

Extreme winter weather across the US has delayed the shipment of nearly 6 million vaccine doses this week, White House officials said on Friday.

A combination of power outages and icy roads in areas of the country not accustomed to winter storms has left vaccine doses stuck in distribution hubs, with workers unable to process shipments and road closures keeping trucks from reaching vaccination centers.

US shipping companies UPS and FedEx have experienced logjams at hubs in Louisville. Kentucky and Memphis,Tennessee.

President Joe Biden said the weather was "slowing up the distribution" while touring a Pfizer plant in Michigan on Friday, but expressed optimism that vaccinations would soon get back on track.

White House coronavirus response adviser Andy Slavitt told CNN that on Saturday, authorities would "ship more doses than states have ever received before."

He said the backlogged doses should be delivered over the next several days, and the pace of vaccinations will recover.