POST FALLS – Government Brad Little said on Friday he was amazed at Kootenai County’s ability to administer COVID-19 vaccines through its healthcare facilities and said it was confident local clinics would deliver doses safely and orderly in the arms can get.
“We’d determined it faster than the amount of vaccine we’re going to have,” said Little of Northwest Specialty Hospital’s clinic in Post Falls.
In addition to Rick Rasmussen, CEO of Northwest Specialty, and a legion of volunteers and staff, Little visited the clinic as part of a tour of Pocatello, Sandpoint and Post Falls to oversee the driveway through Idaho’s vaccine clinics. Little said the efforts he saw at Northwest Specialty injected him with a fresh dose of optimism.
“This is a typical, very good Idaho story where a group of people – Rotarians – go with a wonderful company and all their connected people and are just done,” Little said. “What I’m interested in is if can we vaccinate more, can we enlarge? Can we double or double? [capacity]? So I can sleep now. Now I have to get the vaccine. ‘
Idaho’s vaccination problem is a demand-for-demand issue, a problem that the Centers for Disease Control confirmed earlier this week after Idaho received the second fewest doses per capita in the country.
Although Little said he did not receive a satisfactory or complete answer as to why the Gem States received so few doses – according to the CDC – 10,300 per 100,000 inhabitants – he determined two of the factors. One of them, he said, is the relatively young population of Idaho – the second youngest, after 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 calculate everything by it, we still do not get our fair share. ”
Little said he was constantly in touch with the Biden administration, which is still in transition, and that he will continue to increase pressure on the White House to increase the allocation of the vaccine to Idaho.
“The new chief economic officer, I called him and said, ‘Do not change us much. Tell us what we’re going to get. Do not change the rules on us, because every state is trying to scale it up. ” Little said. “On the call I had with him on Monday, he said: ‘Whatever you got last week, you’ll get 16 percent more for the next three weeks. ‘So it gives us some [assurance]. But Idahos are not getting our fair share. ”
Few have emphasized since the vaccine became available how it strives for herd immunity, where a high percentage of vaccinated Idahoans will soothe coronavirus numbers into a manageable virus that will not overwhelm the healthcare system.
Although Little said in recent interviews that the ideal percentage of vaccinated residents was somewhat foggy, the governor said Friday that the number could be closer to 70 percent. He added the recent advertising campaigns of the Department of Health and Welfare that promote both health protocols, such as masks and getting vaccinated, are effective, and that he regrets not getting a more effective message sooner.
“We should have done it earlier,” he said before adding a sarcasm. “We should have done a better job: just because the governor tells you to do something – I know it’s a shock – people are not allowed to do it. We had to get rid of 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 residents eligible for the vaccine will increase dramatically in the coming days. On Monday, Idahoans 65 years and older qualify for the vaccine.
The number increases the need for vaccinations – a need currently reserved for health workers, educators and long-term carers and residents – by more than 260,000 nationwide.
One person who will help facilitate the vaccinations is Genl. Michael Garshak, commander-in-chief of the Idaho National Guard. Garshak was part of Little’s entourage on Friday. He told The Press the direction of the governor gave the Guard laser focus as the vaccination efforts continued.
“We support the health districts throughout the state and the health facilities to help their response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Garshak said. “It comes in a wide variety of missions, from logistics support, contact tracking, testing, selection.”
New cases and hospitalizations of COVID-19 have been declining since the first week of January. Asked about the reasons why his coronavirus team was able to pick up from the data, Little said the input of Panhandle Health volunteers and staff provides a fresh insight into the positive trends.
“I talked to the detectives at Panhandle Health,” he said. ‘They said everyone originally knew a young child who got COVID, and it was nothing. But now they are starting to know someone who sadly died in some circumstances. A lot of people got really sick. ”
