Alabama to get fewer doses of coronavirus vaccine than expected

State health officials say Alabama will receive almost 20,000 fewer doses of coronavirus vaccine than initially planned. The change will reduce the number of people who can receive an initial dose of the Pfizer vaccine in coming days. Health officials say the reason for the change is unclear. The department says over four thousand people in Alabama have received the first dose of the vaccine. The second shot of the Pfizer product is designed to some three weeks after the first, with immunity expected to occur the following week. The state says the reduction in doses won't affect them since follow-up doses already have been allotted. The recipients are mostly front-line health care workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says half of the vaccine is for medical staff working directly with COVID patients. The rest is divided among doctor’s office staff , emergency medical technicians, and other hospital workers. Another issue is a thousand doses of the Pfizer vaccine had to be quarantined reportedly because it was stored at a colder temperature than recommended. Federal coordinators says the problem in Alabama was also found in an equivalent number of doses in California.