BOISE, Idaho (AP) – Public health officials say extreme winter weather in the U.S. has prevented any coronavirus vaccine from being sent to Idaho this week, possibly delaying some vaccination efforts.
The news comes when officials from the Department of Health and Welfare in Idaho also announced on Friday that an Idaho man was infected with a variant of the coronavirus that was first detected in South Africa. The variant, which is believed to be more contagious and possibly more virulent than the strain already found in Idaho, has been reported in 19 cases found so far in ten other states. This is the first time that the South African variant has been confirmed in Idaho.
The man recently traveled overseas and is thought to have been exposed before returning to Idaho, the state Department of Health and Welfare and Southwest District health officials said. Officials were identifying people who may have had close contact with the infected man.
Public health officials are concerned about the South African variant because it contains a mutation of the characteristic ear protein of the virus, which is targeted by existing vaccines. Two other variants – one first discovered in California and another in the United Kingdom – were also recently found in wastewater tested from several cities in Ada County.
“We are not surprised to find this virus in Idaho,” said Dr. Christine Hahn, state epidemiologist, said in a prepared statement. ‘As we just tested Boise City’s wastewater testing program, different tribes have arrived in the state. We remind Idahoans to keep wearing masks, physically removing them, washing hands regularly, and staying home when they are sick. Besides being vaccinated when it’s available to you, these actions are the best things we can do right now. ”
However, some Idaho residents may temporarily postpone their vaccinations. Like many other states across the country, the shipment of Idaho has been delayed by harsh winter weather, Zachary Clark, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho confirmed Friday.
Some vaccine providers are scrambling to make sure people can get their second chance on time. The second shot is required for recipients to be fully immunized, and is supposed to be given within a strict time frame: five weeks from the first shot for the Moderna vaccine, and approximately three weeks after the first shot for the Pfizer. -vaccine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the incentive shots could be safely delayed in extreme circumstances.
Primary Health Medical Group, the largest independent medical group in Idaho, has lent approximately 1,400 doses of Moderna to Idaho’s largest hospital system to ensure that people who receive their second dose with St.Luke’s Health System this weekend do not have to go without it. .
St. Luke’s will return the same amount of doses to Primary Health as soon as the weather improves and the delayed shipment arrives, said Anita Kissée, spokeswoman for St. Luke, said. She said the hospital system appreciates Primary Health’s willingness to “share this precious resource and help a hand.”
It is believed that Idaho’s delayed doses are still stored in the facilities where they were made, Clark said, and officials therefore do not believe there is a risk of spoilage.
State health officials have held daily weather meetings with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an effort to determine when the delayed vaccine goes to Idaho, said Sarah Leeds, manager of the Idaho immunization program.
“We really stick to it,” Leeds told members of the COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee on Friday afternoon. “We know that if we are not shipped by Monday, many of our suppliers will have some important appointments to reschedule.”
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