New York (AFP) - New York is to resume coronavirus vaccinations, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday, after the city's biggest snowstorm in five years briefly halted the program.
The winter storm brought chaos to the United States east coast on Monday, canceling thousands of flights, closing schools and forcing the postponement of Covid-19 vaccinations.
The National Weather Service said that by 9:00 am (1400 GMT) Tuesday, 17.2 inches (43.7 centimeters) of snow had been recorded in Central Park.
The storm headed north through New England, dumping snow on Maine and Vermont as it headed towards Canada.
De Blasio told reporters vaccination sites and school classrooms would reopen Wednesday.
He said centers would quickly make up the two days of cancelations, regretting that the federal government was still sending insufficient numbers of doses to the city.
"I wish we had so much supply that we would have to say 'woah', we have so much to do," the mayor told reporters.
"But unfortunately because supply is limited we'll be able to catch up on those appointments very quickly and then once again we will not have supply," he added.
De Blasio had declared a state of emergency that restricted non-essential travel on Monday as the heavy snow mixed with wind gusts up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour spurred dangerous blizzards along the eastern seaboard.
In Newark, New Jersey, a man died after being found unconscious in a park.
In Allentown, Pennsylvania, a woman with Alzheimer's froze to death after walking out of her home.
Forecasters had predicted up to 20 inches of snow for New York, which would have put the storm in the top ten for heaviest snowfall in the city since records began.
Monday and Tuesday's snow was the most to hit New York City since a record 27.5 inches blanketed America's commercial capital over three days in January 2016.
