The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has drawn up a timetable for when different groups in Idahoans “can get” a COVID-19 vaccination in Idaho. Provides an estimate for residents who ask themselves “when can I get vaccinated?”
The vaccination process started earlier this month, with doses of Pfizer-BioNTech arriving in the state. A second vaccine from Moderna started arriving last week. The two vaccines reported high levels of efficacy in the trials. The Pfizer vaccine was 95% effective in adults in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, and the Modern vaccine was 94.1% effective.
To date, 11,729 Idaho residents have received at least one vaccine in the vaccination program, according to data from Health & Welfare. Both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two vaccines – a primary dose, followed by a booster dose. The interval for the Modern vaccine is 28 days, while for Pfizer it is 21 days.
Idaho has about 1.777 million residents, which means that about 0.65% of residents have started the vaccination program.
The new graph, produced yesterday, shows “estimated deadlines” for vaccination in the state. The schedules will be closely monitored in the coming months to see how the state measures against initial estimates.
This month, December 2020
Health workers and people living in long-term care facilities started taking vaccines earlier this month. The group includes a large number of subcategories, including hospital staff who care for COVID-19 patients, staff / residents of long-term care facilities, EMS staff, dentists, pharmacists and emergency management and health care staff. public, among others.
The state classified the priority within the group, in this order:
| Group | Priority |
|---|---|
| Hospital staff is essential to care for patients with COVID-19 and maintain hospital capacity (includes support staff as well as clinical staff) | 1.1 |
| Essential outpatient team to care for COVID-19 patients and maintain hospital capacity | 1.1 |
| Team of long-term care institutions | 1.2 |
| Home care providers for adults 65 years of age or older or for other adults or children with high-risk medical conditions | 1.2 |
| Emergency medical services (EMS) | 1.3 |
| Outpatient and hospital medical staff not yet included above, who cannot work remotely | 1.4 |
| Dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants | 1.5 |
| Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants | 1.6 |
| Public health and emergency management workers unable to telework | 1.7 |
As of February 2021
The next group on the line includes essential workers and older Idahoans. This includes non-EMS rescuers (such as police and fire fighters), day care centers and school staff, prison staff, grocery workers, Idaho National Guard and “other essential workers”. It also includes Idaho residents over the age of 75.
The state will also make vaccines available to food factory workers in this wave. This group was particularly affected during the pandemic.
The state also ranked the priority in this group:
| Group | Priority |
|---|---|
| Rescuers (except EMS) and security (fire / police / protection services / community support) | 2.1 |
| Pre-primary school staff and teachers and day care centers [childcare] workers | 2.2 |
| Correctional and detention staff (except doctors) | 2.3 |
| Food processing workers | 2.4 |
| Grocery and convenience store workers | 2.5 |
| Idaho National Guard (except doctors) | 2.6 |
| Other essential workers not yet included and unable to telework or to distance themselves from others at work | 2.7 |
Starting in April
Two months later, the vaccination project will be further expanded. All adults over 65 can get the vaccine, as well as members of the general population aged 16 to 64 who have “medical conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19”. The state will also open vaccines for any essential workers who were not eligible in previous phases.
The state has not provided any classification guidance in this group.
Starting in May
Then, in May, the state says that any member of the general public can get the vaccine.
The state did not list how it would prioritize this group.