Infectious disease expert says state's COVID-19 vaccine shortage is not unique

When it comes to the supply and demand shortage of the covid-19 vaccine, an infectious disease expert from Beaumont Health System says there is a simple explanation.

"Basically what it all comes down to we don't have enough vaccine to meet the need right now," said Dr. Matthew Sims.

The problem isn't unique to Beaumont, or Michigan, for that matter. The hospital began vaccinating frontline healthcare workers last month as soon as the vaccine was made available.

"The 1,600 people a day that we started with, we then doubled that to 3,200," said Sims. "We handled that, and now there are plans for two more areas, 3,200 people a day but we don't have the vaccine supply to open them yet."

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require people to get two doses, about one month apart for the vaccine to be truly effective.

But some people are worried they will be able to get the first dose but not the second one, because of the shortage.

"My general thought on that is everybody will get their second (vaccine dose) - but it may not be at the three weeks or the four weeks that it's supposed to be at," Sims said. "It may be longer, but you will still have protection after the first dose."

Sims reminds us that we have to be patient.

"Things don't happen overnight things take time, and there are requirements when you produce a vaccine," he said. "For safety and for purity, they have to be met no matter how fast you're trying to do this."