‘We want kids back in school’: Gov. Brad Little implores Idahoans to get COVID vaccine
Gov. Brad Little implored more Idaho residents to get vaccinated on Thursday, stressing that if the state’s low vaccination rate did not improve, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations this fall could exceed earlier peaks and imperil the ability of schoolchildren to have in-person learning.
“Our main defense in ensuring the new school year is entirely in person, free from outbreaks and quarantines, is the COVID-19 vaccine,” Little said at a press conference held at Nampa High School.
To assist with the return to school, the governor is directing $30 million in federal COVID-19 relief money toward expanded virus testing in Idaho’s K-12 schools. The funds will be drawn from the $67.8 million in federal COVID-19 relief for the Department of Health and Welfare approved by the Legislature earlier this year. The department had planned to use that money for community-based testing but redirected some of that money to schools, where the need is greater, said Alex Adams, head of Little’s Division of Financial Management.
“It’s such a critical need in order to keep the schools open in the fall that this was the best option,” Adams told the Idaho Statesman.
Earlier this year, the Republican-led Idaho House rejected $40.3 million in federal funding that would have been used specifically for COVID-19 testing in schools.
Little said the new funding is not only helpful for schools but could further incentivize those on the fence to get vaccinated.
“Testing is a motivator,” Little said. “People don’t want to be tested.
“Our reason for being here today is we want kids back in school,” the governor added. “The secret is obviously getting more people vaccinated.”
The governor noted that since May 15, 10 times as many COVID-19 cases, 13 times as many hospitalizations and eight times as many deaths have been among the unvaccinated population. Since Jan. 1, 98.9% of cases, 98.6% of hospitalizations and 98.7% of deaths have been among people who were not vaccinated.
Little noted that “195 million Americans have received the vaccine safely.”
“The risk of death and serious injury is extremely low. By comparison, the risk of death or hospitalization from the COVID-19 disease is much, much higher, and it’s growing,” he said.
While the COVID-19 vaccines currently have emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration because of the pandemic, it’s expected that full approval will come within the next few weeks. Little said he expects to see the Pfizer vaccine receive that approval first.
“We’ve had 200 million vaccinations (in the U.S.) and billions worldwide,” Little said. “So the data is there.”
A handful of protesters stood right outside the doors as the governor held his press conference, at which he issued no mandates or requirements. One held a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, while others shouted false claims that the vaccine was responsible for more than 12,000 deaths and was killing children.
More than 350 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the U.S., and there have been 6,631 post-vaccination deaths reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA. The CDC notes that the FDA “requires health care providers to report any death after COVID-19 vaccination ... even if it’s unclear whether the vaccine was the cause.”
State Rep. Ben Adams, a Nampa Republican, also appeared with the group and was critical that the press conference wasn’t open to the public.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 1:31 PM.
