Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York announced on Sunday that vaccine appointments scheduled to take place in the city on Monday would be postponed because of a looming winter storm that is expected to dump up to 16 inches of snow on the region.
At a news conference on Sunday, Mr. de Blasio said he did not want older New Yorkers on the road traveling to vaccine appointments, warning of incoming blizzard-like conditions with gusty winds. Winter storm warnings were in place for a large swath of the Eastern United States on Sunday, affecting major metropolitan areas from Washington to Boston.
In-person learning at New York City schools will also be closed Monday.
Mr. de Blasio did not specify when the rescheduled vaccine appointments would take place. Vaccinations scheduled for Tuesday have not been canceled, for now, he said.
The storm will temporarily derail a vaccine rollout in New York City that has been plagued with inadequate supply, buggy sign-up systems and confusion over the state’s strict eligibility guidelines. In New York, the vaccine is currently available to residents 65 and older as well as a wide range of workers designated “essential.”
About 800,000 doses have been administered so far in the city, Mr. de Blasio said.
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