POST CALE – Gov. Brad Little said Friday that he was amazed at Kootenai County’s ability to administer COVID-19 vaccines through its health care facilities, saying he was fully confident that local clinics would be able to receive doses in the arms of residents in a safe and orderly manner. .
“We’ve already discovered this sooner than the amount of vaccine we’ll have,” said Little of the Northwest Specialty Hospital in Post Falls.
Along with Northwest Specialty CEO Rick Rasmussen and a legion of volunteers and staff, Little made a stop at the clinic as part of a tour of Pocatello, Sandpoint and Post Falls to oversee growth through vaccine clinics in Idaho. Little said the efforts he saw at Northwest Specialty injected him with a new dose of optimism.
“This is a typical, very good story from Idaho, where a group of people – Rotarians – go with great company and all the people they are affiliated with, and they’re just done,” Little said. , if we get more vaccine, can we expand, can we double or triple [capacity]? So I can sleep now. Now I have to get the vaccine. ”
The Idaho vaccine issue is one of demand over supply, a problem confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control earlier this week, after their report listed Idaho as receiving the lowest doses per capita in the country.
Although Little said he did not receive a satisfactory or complete answer as to why Gem State received so few doses – 10,300 per 100,000 population, according to the CDC – he identified two of the factors. One, he said, is the relatively young population of Idaho – the second youngest near Utah.
The other reason is growth.
“[The federal government is going off] old population data, ”Little said. “We are the fastest growing state. But even if you take all this into account there, we still do not get our fair share “.
Little said he was in constant communication with the Biden administration, still in transition, and would continue to put pressure on the White House to increase vaccine allocation in Idaho.
“The new president’s chief economic adviser called him and said, ‘Please don’t change too much about us. Tell us what we’ll get. Do not change the rules for us, because every state is trying to increase this. “” Little said. “On the call I had with him on Monday, he said, ‘Whatever you had last week, you’re going to get 16 percent more for the next three weeks. So that gives us something. [assurance]. But Idaho does not receive our fair share. ”
Little has been pointed out since before the vaccine became available as it pushes for herd immunity, where a high percentage of vaccinated Idahoans will calm the coronavirus number into a manageable virus that will not overwhelm the health system.
While Little said in past interviews that the ideal percentage of vaccinated residents was somewhat nebulous, the governor said Friday that the number could be closer to 70 percent. He added that the recent advertising campaigns of the Department of Health and Welfare that promote both health protocols, such as masks and vaccination, have been effective and that he complains that they do not receive a more effective message earlier.
“We should have done that earlier,” he said before adding a note of sarcasm. “We should have done a better job: Just because the governor tells you to do something – I know it’s a shock – people might not do it. We had to take out the healthcare industry and ordinary people and say, “Here are the consequences.” I think it’s helpful. “
As COVID-19 numbers decline, the number of vaccine-eligible residents will increase dramatically in the coming days. On Monday, Idahoans over the age of 65 will qualify for the vaccine.
This number will increase the need for vaccinations – a need currently reserved for health care workers, educators and residents and staff of long-term care units – by more than 260,000 statewide.
One person who will help facilitate these vaccinations is General Michael Garshak, the commander-in-chief of the Idaho National Guard. Garshak was part of Little’s entourage on Friday. He told reporters that the governor’s department had paid attention to the Guard laser as vaccination efforts continued.
We support health districts across the state and health institutions to help respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, Garshak said. “It comes in a wide variety of missions, from logistics assistance, tracking contacts, testing, screening.”
New cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations have declined since the first week of January. When asked what reasons his coronavirus team could get from this data, Little said the contribution of Panhandle Health volunteers and staff provided a new perspective on positive trends.
“I was talking to people who were watching at Panhandle Health,” he said. “They said, initially, everyone knew a small child who received COVID and it was nothing. But now I’m getting to know someone who, unfortunately, died under certain circumstances. A lot of people got really sick. ”
