BOSTON (AP) – Coronavirus vaccination sites across the northeast retreated Tuesday after a two-day snowstorm that also shut down public transportation, closed schools and canceled flights .
Some officials said that since vaccine supplies were scarce to begin with, they did not anticipate having major problems getting stuck in the distribution after one or two days of canceled appointments.
Snow bands were still moving through parts of Maine and Pennsylvania in the morning, but the worst was over, with more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) in parts of New Jersey and only a few inches in Boston.
Lara Pagano, a meteorologist at the National Meteorological Service’s office in College Park, Maryland, noted that while several areas of the mid-Atlantic saw measurable snowfall for a few consecutive days, that hasn’t broken those records.
For example, he said, the most consecutive days with snowfall measured in Washington are four, while the mark is five in New York and six in Philadelphia.
“While this storm has been a protracted event, it’s not a record in that regard, but of course there’s a pretty high position,” he said.
The extensive and heavy storm it had already walled up the eastern United States on Monday. More than 17 inches (43 centimeters) of snow fell in Manhattan’s Central Park and up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) were reported in northern New Jersey.
While New York City school children had another day of remote learning due to snow, subway and train service above ground returned early Tuesday and the ban was lifted. of certain large trucks on state highways. Some vaccination sites in the city remained closed, but others, including those administered by the public hospital system, were opened on Tuesday.
The high tide caused flooding early Tuesday in coastal areas of Massachusetts, where the storm had already disrupted the second phase of the state’s vaccine deployment, as a site in Boston was due to open on Monday. for residents 75 years of age or older; some other mass vaccination sites remained open.
Several areas of Massachusetts suffered 45 inches of snow, including the central Massachusetts communities of Fitchburg, Lunenburg and Ashburnham.
Much of southern New Hampshire has about a foot of snow. Some parts of northern New Hampshire, where the state’s ski resorts are located and most snowmobile trails, were 22 to 25 inches 9 to 10 inches.
“Over the next few weeks, conditions will be phenomenal,” Governor Chris Sununu said Tuesday in an interview with WZID-FM.
In Connecticut, the storm, which threw up to 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow in some areas, forced 10,000 vaccination appointments to be canceled on Monday, state officials said. An effort is being made to provide weekend vaccinations to people whose appointments have been canceled.
A state of emergency imposed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy remained in effect Tuesday and the state’s six megasites for COVID-19 vaccines were still closed as plow operators clashed. in snow showers and blowing snow.
New Jersey State Police reported that as of 7 p.m., Monday, troops had responded to 661 accidents and had assisted 1,050 motorists since Sunday at 6 p.m.
There was also concern about coastal flooding in New Jersey. In a Facebook video sent by Union Beach police, Keyport police chief Shannon Torres, and Captain Michael Ferm were shown rescuing a man who showed signs of hypothermia in his car from the flood waters.
In Virginia, four firefighters were taken to hospitals with life-threatening injuries after their fire truck overturned on snow-covered roads in Henrico County on Sunday, The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
Electrical outages seemed to be minimal. About 5,000 customers in Massachusetts and about 3,000 in New York were without electricity Tuesday morning.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf declared a disaster emergency after snowfall of up to 76 inches in the central and eastern regions. The proclamation released millions of dollars to remove the snow and authorized officials to call on the National Guard for help.
Authorities said a 67-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s disease who was moving away from her home was found dead of hypothermia on an Allentown street Monday morning.
About 60 kilometers (97 kilometers) north in Plains Township, a shooting after a snow removal dispute killed a married couple, and the suspect was later found dead at his nearby home. ‘a wound believed to have been self-inflicted, officials in Luzerne County said.