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POST FALLS – Gov. Brad Little said on Friday he marveled at Kootenai County’s ability to deliver COVID-19 vaccines through its healthcare facilities, saying he was fully confident that local clinics will be able to deliver doses to residents’ arms in a safe and orderly manner.
“We already figured this out faster than the amount of vaccine we’re going to have,” said Little of the Northwest Specialty Hospital clinic in Post Falls.
Alongside Northwest Specialty CEO Rick Rasmussen and a legion of volunteers and staff, Little stopped by the clinic as part of a tour of Pocatello, Sandpoint and Post Falls to oversee a climb in power of Idaho vaccination clinics. Little said the efforts he saw at Northwest Specialty injected him with a new dose of optimism.
“It’s a really good story typical of Idaho where a bunch of people – Rotarians – go with a big company and all of their affiliates and get by,” Little said. “What interests me is if we get more vaccines, can we scale it up? Can we double or triple [capacity]? So I can sleep now. Now I have to get vaccinated.
The vaccine problem in Idaho is one of demand versus supply, an issue confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control earlier this week after their report said Idaho was receiving the second fewest doses by inhabitant of the country.
Although Little said he had not received a satisfactory or complete answer as to why the Gem State received so few doses – 10,300 per 100,000 population, according to the CDC – he identified two factors. One, he says, is Idaho’s relatively young population – the second youngest, after Utah.
The other reason is growth.
“[The federal government is going off] old demographics, ”Little said. “We are the fastest growing state. But even if you factor all of that into account, we’re still not getting our fair share. “
Little said he was in constant communication with the Biden administration, still in transition, and that he would continue to lobby the White House to increase Idaho’s vaccine allocation.
“The new president’s chief economic adviser, I had a call with him, and I said, ‘Please don’t change much about us. Tell us what we’re going to get. Don’t change the rules on us, because all states are trying to expand this. “” Little said. “On the call I had with him on Monday, he said, ‘Whatever you have last week, you’ll have 16 percent more for the next three weeks. So that gives us a bit. [assurance]. But Idaho is not getting our fair share. “
Not much has pointed out since before the vaccine became available how it lobbies for herd immunity, where a high percentage of vaccinated Idahoans will calm the coronavirus count into a manageable virus that will not overwhelm the healthcare system.
While Little has said in previous interviews that the ideal percentage of residents vaccinated is somewhat nebulous, the governor said on Friday that number could be closer to 70%. He added that recent publicity campaigns by the Department of Health and Welfare promoting both health protocols such as masks and vaccination have been effective and that he laments not getting a message across. more effective sooner.
“We should have done it earlier,” he said before adding a sarcastic note. “We should have done a better job: just because the governor tells you to do something – I know it’s a shock – people may not do it. We had to get the health care industry and ordinary people out and say, “Here are the consequences”. I think it is useful.
As the number of COVID-19 tends to decline, the number of residents eligible for the vaccine will increase dramatically in the coming days. On Monday, Idahoans 65 and older will be eligible for the vaccine.
That number will increase the need for immunizations – a need currently reserved for front-line healthcare workers, educators, and residents and staff in long-term care facilities – by more than 260,000 statewide.
One person who will help facilitate these vaccinations is Gen. Michael Garshak, commanding general of the Idaho National Guard. Garshak was in Little Friday’s entourage. He told The Press that the governor’s leadership gave the Guard a laser focus as vaccination efforts continued.
“We are supporting health districts across the state and health facilities to help them respond to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Garshak said. “It comes in a wide variety of missions, from logistical support to contact tracing, testing, screening.
New cases and hospitalizations of COVID-19 have tended to decline since the first week of January. When asked what reasons his coronavirus team might have gleaned from this data, Little said the contribution of volunteers and staff at Panhandle Health offered new insight into positive trends.
“I was talking with the research people at Panhandle Health,” he said. “They said that originally everyone knew a young child who had contracted COVID, and it was nothing. But now they are starting to get to know someone who, unfortunately, under certain circumstances, has died. A lot of people got really sick. “
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