Freezing temperatures in rest of country will cause delays in Covid-19 vaccinations to Monterey County.

It's a bright, sunshiny day in Monterey County today with an afternoon temperature of around 60 degrees, but almost everywhere else outside of California and Florida the country is suffering historic sub-zero temperatures along with deadly ice and snow storms.

Although we're safe weather-wise here, we're not escaping the harsh conditions entirely, as the storms will cause a delay in shipments of Covid-19 vaccines to the state and county.

That delay could translate into groups of people, who became eligible today for vaccinations, having to wait until new shipments arrive according to a media briefing by Monterey County Health Officer Edward Moreno. As of today, Feb. 17, the county does not have a delivery date for next week's shipment.

Those new groups now eligible include: People between the ages of 65-74 in food, agriculture, education and childcare industries; people between the ages of 65-74 living in zip codes where Covid has hit hardest. 

Another victim of the freezing weather was United Way's 211 service which earlier this week began helping people without internet or computer access make appointments using the county's registration system. As people started calling this morning—some in part because of the new eligibility—the phone system crashed, United Way President and CEO Katy Castagna said.

It wasn't too many calling in at once. It turned out the calls were being routed through a system in Dallas where below freezing temperatures knocked out the Texas power grid. Once the problem was detected the calls were rerouted elsewhere and the 211 service resumed, she said.