BOISE, Idaho (AP) – An unexpected reduction in the number of coronavirus vaccine doses Idaho will receive next week will disrupt distribution plans, a state immunization official said Friday.
Sarah Leeds, director of the Department of Health and Welfare’s immunization program, said the state expected 17,550, but will receive only 9,750.
“This has some pretty significant implications for our vaccination program,” Leeds said during a meeting of the COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee in Idaho.
State officials have detailed plans for distributing the vaccine and will now have to recalibrate it. Health officials said the reason for the reduction was unclear.
Leeds said the state had received all 13,950 doses expected this week. Nearly 1,000 people have been vaccinated so far. Healthcare workers who have direct contact with patients with COVID-19 receive the initial doses.
The vaccine Idaho has received so far is from Pfizer-BioNTech.
Officials at the meeting said the state could receive another 28,000 doses from another company next week.
The Food and Drug Administration evaluated a photo taken by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health and was expected to give it the green light soon, paving the way for its use to begin on Monday.
The Moderna vaccine is easier to handle because it should not be stored at freezing temperatures, such as the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. Both require two doses for complete protection.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said the virus infected more than 126,000 residents and killed 1,259.
The Vaccine Advisory Committee has established a list of priorities for groups of people to receive the vaccine. On Friday, the committee made some slight changes to the priority of workers receiving the vaccine.
In general, health care workers who come into direct contact with COVID-19 patients are followed on the list by essential outpatient staff to maintain the hospital’s capacity. Others on the list include staff at long-term care facilities, home care providers, and emergency nurses.
Residents of long-term care units are also in the initial category of those who receive the shots. Older adults are more susceptible to serious illness or death from the virus.
The next eligible category to receive the vaccine is essential workers. This category is carried out with firefighters and police, followed by school teachers and kindergarten workers.
Prison workers, food processing workers and food and convenience store workers are also on this list.