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BOISE, Idaho (AP) – An unexpected reduction in the number of doses of coronavirus vaccine Idaho receives next week will disrupt distribution plans, a state immunization official said on Friday.
Sarah Leeds, head of the State Department of Health and Welfare’s immunization program, said the state had planned 17,550 but will only get 9,750.
“This has pretty significant implications for our vaccination program,” Leeds said at a meeting of the Idaho COVID-19 vaccine advisory committee.
State officials have detailed plans to distribute the vaccine and will now need to recalibrate. Health officials said it was unclear why the amount was reduced.
Leeds said the state received the 13,950 expected doses this week. Almost 1,000 people have been vaccinated to date. Health workers who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients receive the initial doses.
The vaccine Idaho has received so far is from Pfizer-BioNTech.
Officials at the meeting said the state could get an additional 28,000 doses from another company next week.
The Food and Drug Administration was evaluating a shot developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health and was due to give it the green light soon, paving the way for its use as early as Monday.
Moderna’s vaccine is easier to handle because it does not need to be stored at ultra-frozen temperatures like the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Both require two doses for complete protection.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said the virus had infected more than 126,000 residents and killed 1,259.
The Vaccine Advisory Committee has established a priority list for groups of people wishing to be vaccinated. On Friday, the committee slightly changed the priority of workers receiving the vaccine.
In general, health workers who come into direct contact with COVID-19 patients are followed on the list by ambulatory staff essential to maintaining hospital capacity. Other tops of the list include staff in long-term care facilities, home care providers, and emergency medical responders.
Residents of long-term care facilities are also included in the initial category of those receiving vaccines. Older people are much more prone to serious illness or death from the virus.
The next category eligible to get the vaccine is essential workers. This category begins with firefighters and police, followed by teachers and wardens.
Prison workers, workers in the food processing industry, and grocery and convenience store workers are also on this list.
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