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Trump administration says earlier vaccine estimates were "misunderstanding."

Nebraska now expects 11,700 Pfizer vaccines next week.
Posted at 6:14 PM, Dec 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-18 19:14:04-05

OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — A U.S. HHS spokesperson said Friday that they are "working on clearing up any misunderstanding" with states on how many Pfizer vaccines to expect next week.

Nebraska has reported three different numbers on how many vaccines they expect will be delivered next week. First, more than 19,000 were expected. Later, the state announced they aren't expecting any.

From Wednesday: Next week's Pfizer vaccine shipment isn't arriving

Friday, Gov. Pete Ricketts said he expects nearly 12,000 Pfizer vaccines to be delivered next week.

"We are pleased that Pfizer has informed us that there will not be a delay in delivery," a Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said in a statement. "We continue to expedite delivery to our priority groups with as few interruptions as possible."

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said in a statement, in part, “There was some confusion between planning and training numbers provided in mid-November and actual official weekly allocations, which are only available the week prior to distribution shipping because they are based on the number of releasable vaccine doses available. We are working on clearing up any misunderstanding with the governors and jurisdictions."

The HHS spokesperson said Operation Warp Speed numbers have not changed,"Only three official allocations have been provided to states: Week 1 Pfizer allocations were provided Friday, Nov. 20; week 1 Moderna allocations were provided Friday, Nov. 27; and week 2 Pfizer allocations were provided Tuesday, Dec. 15."

Operation Warp Speed will inform states of their dose shipments on a weekly basis, the statement says. HHS expects 20 million Americans will be vaccinated before 2021, pending the expected emergency use authorization for the Moderna vaccine.

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