POST-FALLS – Governor Brad Little said on Friday that he was amazed at Kootenai County’s ability to administer COVID-19 vaccines through its health centers, saying he is fully confident that local clinics will be able to placing doses in the residents’ arms in a safe and orderly manner.
“We already found this out faster than the amount of vaccine we will have,” said Little, of the Northwest Speciality Hospital clinic in Post Falls.
Along with Northwest Specialty CEO Rick Rasmussen and a legion of volunteers and employees, Little made a stop at the clinic as part of a tour of Pocatello, Sandpoint and Post Falls to oversee an increase in vaccine clinics in Idaho. Little said the efforts he saw at Northwest Specialty had injected him with a new dose of optimism.
“This is a typical and very good Idaho story, where a group of people – Rotarians – go with a big company and all its affiliates and just do it,” said Little. “What interests me is if we can get more vaccines, can we increase? We can double or triple [capacity]? So I can sleep now. Now I need to get the vaccine ”.
Idaho’s vaccine problem is one of demand versus supply, a problem confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control earlier this week, after its report listed Idaho as the second lowest dose 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 residents, according to the CDC – he identified two of the factors. One, he said, is Idaho’s relatively young population – the second youngest, after Utah.
The other reason is growth.
“[The federal government is going off] old population data, ”said Little. “We are the fastest growing state. But even if you take all of this into account, we are still not getting our fair share. “
Little said he is in constant communication with the Biden administration, still in transition, and that he will continue to pressure the White House to increase the allocation of vaccines in Idaho.
“The new president’s chief economic advisor, I got a call from him and said, ‘Please don’t change much about us. Tell us what we’re going to achieve. Do not change the rules on us, because each state is trying to increase this. ‘”Little said.” In the call I had with him on Monday, he said: ‘Whatever you received last week, you will receive 16 percent more in the next three weeks. ‘So that gives us some [assurance]. But Idaho is not getting our fair share. “
Little has been emphasized since before the vaccine was made available as he is pushing for collective immunity, where a high percentage of vaccinated Idahoans will calm the number of coronaviruses in a manageable virus that will not overwhelm the health system.
Although Little said in previous interviews that the ideal percentage of vaccinated residents is somewhat nebulous, the governor said on Friday that that number could be closer to 70 percent. He added that the Department of Health and Welfare’s recent advertising campaigns promoting health protocols such as masks and vaccinations have been effective, and that he regrets not having received a more effective message before.
“We should have done this before,” 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 this is a shock – people may not do it. We had to take the health sector and ordinary people out and say, ‘Here are the consequences of that.’ I think it helps. “
As COVID-19 numbers tend to fall, the number of residents eligible for the vaccine will increase dramatically in the coming days. On Monday, Idaho residents age 65 and older will qualify for the vaccine.
That number will increase the need for vaccinations – a need currently reserved for health professionals, educators and residents and employees of long-term care facilities – by more than 260,000 across the state.
One person who will help facilitate these vaccinations is General Michael Garshak, commander general of the Idaho National Guard. Garshak was part of Little’s party on Friday. He told the press that the governor’s leadership has given the Guard a laser focus as vaccination efforts continue to be implemented.
“We are supporting health districts across the state and health facilities to assist in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Garshak. “This occurs in a wide variety of missions, from logistical support, tracking of some contacts, tests, screening.”
New cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations have declined since the first week of January. When asked what reasons his coronavirus team may have obtained from these data, Little said that the contribution of Panhandle Health volunteers and employees offered some new insights into positive trends.
“I was talking to the Panhandle Health tracking people,” he said. “They said that, originally, everyone knew a boy who took COVID, and it was nothing. But now, they are beginning to meet someone who, unfortunately, in some circumstances, has died. Many people got really sick. “
