Idaho and Boise area hit a lull in COVID vaccine demand, so they’re speeding up rollout
Pharmacies and clinics in the Boise area have had COVID-19 vaccine appointments sitting unfilled, so public health officials are opening eligibility to more people, weeks earlier than expected.
Coronavirus vaccine providers in parts of Idaho have noticed a sudden lull in demand for COVID-19 vaccine appointments. It follows weeks of frenzied efforts to get appointments for those 65 and older — a very large group that became eligible for shots on Feb. 1.
Almost 50,000 people 65 and older in the Central District Health region have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of the week ending March 7, according to Alina Gilmore, a CDH spokesperson. That’s about 62% of the people eligible in that age group in Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties, based on U.S. Census data.
“Albertsons, Primary Health, Saint Alphonsus (Health System) are seeing a lot of appointments sit open,” Gilmore said Friday.
Central District Health and at least one other public health district in Idaho have opened vaccines, starting Saturday, to a group that includes front-line essential workers. They are:
- Food and agricultural workers
- Food processing workers, including U.S. Department of Agriculture food plant inspectors
- Grocery, convenience store and food pantry workers
- Manufacturing workers
- Public transit workers
- U.S. Postal Services workers
- Flight crews
- Gas, electric, water and telecommunications utility workers who work indoors
Idaho National Guard (if not already eligible)
Residents of homeless shelters
Language interpreters (ASL or other language)
Janitorial and cleaning staff who work in any of the above
That includes an estimated 43,000 people in Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties, according to CDH.
“We are seeing a sizable increase in the number of vaccines coming to our health district. We’ve also seen a dramatic decrease in demand this past week from those 65 years and older, so we are opening up Subgroup 2.3 to ensure vaccine appointments are filled,” Russ Duke, CDH director, said in a news release. “Vaccine providers are still encouraged to prioritize appointments for anyone 65 years and older.”
State health officials said on Tuesday that they wanted to open up vaccine appointments to more people — those in Subgroup 2.3 — by March 15. Local health districts could open up eligibility before that, Gilmore explained.
But public health officials hope Idahoans who are already eligible for the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccines will continue to sign up. They believe widespread vaccination is the only way out of the coronavirus pandemic.
“There will be, hopefully, a big messaging push through our enrolled providers, through Crush The Curve” and through media outlets to urge seniors and other eligible Idahoans to book appointments for their vaccines, Gilmore said.
If the shipments of vaccine doses to Idaho continue to increase, as expected, CDH expects to open appointments to Group 3 by April 1, she said. That group includes other essential workers and Idahoans of various age groups who have medical conditions that can make COVID-19 more severe.
The vaccines have shown a high rate of efficacy in keeping people out of the hospital and preventing death.
The state’s Coronavirus Vaccine Advisory Committee is working through detailed breakdowns of each type of eligibility category. The only remaining group after Group 3 would be the general public, including healthy adults.
“We’ve definitely seen the demand decrease, so we know we won’t get 100%” of people vaccinated, Gilmore said.
Based on Idaho’s typical vaccination rates and people declining to take their turns for vaccines, local public health officials expect that about 70% of residents will opt to be vaccinated.
Idaho currently receives enough vaccine for about 40,000 to 50,000 people to start the immunization process each week.
According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 vaccination data, more than 282,541 people in Idaho had received at least one dose as of Friday.
Even if Idaho were to receive no more than 50,000 first doses per week, the current trend and vaccine hesitancy projections mean that all Idaho adults who want a COVID-19 vaccine will have their chance by early June.
However, it is likely that Idaho’s dose shipments will increase because of recent developments, including new manufacturing deals and a newly authorized one-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.
If Idaho’s weekly shipments were to grow by just 10,000 doses starting in April, it would be enough to vaccinate 70% of Idaho’s adults by the end of May.
This story was originally published March 6, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
