BOISE, Idaho (AP) – Public health officials say the extreme winter in the United States prevented any coronavirus vaccines from being sent to Idaho this week, potentially delaying some vaccination efforts.
The news comes when officials from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare also announce on Friday that an Idaho man has been infected with a coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa. The variant, considered more infectious and potentially more virulent than the strain already prevalent in Idaho, has been reported in 19 cases found in 10 other states so far. This marks the first time that the South Africa variant has been confirmed in Idaho.
The man recently traveled abroad and is believed to have been exposed before returning to Idaho, officials at the Department of Health and Welfare and the Southwest Health District said. Authorities were working to identify 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 virus’s characteristic spike protein, which is the target of existing vaccines. Two other variants – one first discovered in California and the other in the United Kingdom – have also recently been found in wastewater tested in several cities in Ada County.
“We are not surprised to find this virus in Idaho,” said state epidemiologist, Dr. Christine Hahn, in a prepared statement. “As we just learned from Boise City’s wastewater testing program this week, variant strains have arrived in the state. We remind the Idahoans to keep wearing masks, physically distancing themselves, washing their hands frequently and staying home when they are sick. In addition to being vaccinated when available to you, these actions are the best things we can do now. “
Some Idaho residents may have their vaccination appointments temporarily postponed. As in many other states in the country, shipments from Idaho were delayed due to the harsh winter, confirmed Idaho Department of Health and Welfare spokesman Zachary Clark on Friday.
This caused some vaccine suppliers to make an effort to ensure that people could get their second injection in time. Second injections are necessary for recipients to be fully immunized and must be given within a limited time frame: five weeks from the first injection of the Moderna vaccine and about three weeks after the first injection of the Pfizer vaccine. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that, in extreme circumstances, booster doses can be safely postponed.
Primary Health Medical Group, Idaho’s largest independent medical group, has lent about 1,400 doses of Moderna to Idaho’s largest hospital system to ensure that people scheduled with the San Lucas Health System receive their second dose this weekend. they would need to be without.
St. Luke’s will return the same number of doses to Primary Health as soon as the weather improves and the delayed shipment arrives, said St. Luke’s spokeswoman, Anita Kissée. She said the hospital system appreciates Primary Health’s willingness to “share this precious resource and lend a helping hand”.
Delayed doses of Idaho are still believed to be stored in the facility where they were made, Clark said, so authorities do not believe there is any risk of deterioration.
State health officials have held daily weather meetings with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an effort to determine when the delayed vaccine will reach Idaho, said Sarah Leeds, Idaho Vaccination Program manager.
“We are really persisting in this,” Leeds told members of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee on Friday afternoon. “We know that if we don’t receive shipments by Monday, many of our suppliers will have some important commitments to reschedule.”
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