BOISE, Idaho — Since Dec. 14, 2020, over 20,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Idaho.
If 75% of Idahoans were to receive the vaccine, the possibility of the state reaching herd immunity would increase. That means 1.35 million Idahoans would need to be vaccinated.
The Idaho Dept. of Health and Welfare unveiled their plan to vaccinate 500,000 Idahoans by the end of 2021, something that will be possible if vaccination rates continue as they are now.
While that is a large portion of the state, it is less than half of what is needed to achieve herd immunity. It would likely take about three years to reach 1.35 million at this pace.
Several KTVB viewers have asked questions about Idaho's vaccination rate, including Janet Fletcher, who asked:
"I don't understand why vaccinations are going to take so long to distribute. My husband and I are 70+ and very high risk. Even convenient store workers get vaccinated before us. I am so discouraged that the whole state seems to be getting the vaccine before us. We lived through the polio epidemic and we just went and lined up."
Fletcher grew up in Emmett, Idaho during the 1950s. When she was growing up, the polio epidemic began in the United States. When the polio vaccine was unveiled, however, she did not have to wait nearly as long as she will have to wait for the COVID-19 vaccine.
"I remember I was in elementary school and we were bussed to an older school, whether it was junior high or high school i don't remember," Fletcher said. "But they just ran us through, we got the smallpox vaccination [and the polio vaccine]."
Fletcher and her husband will not be able to line up and receive the COVID-19 vaccine on any given day due to the state's vaccination schedule, which is causing concern for her.
"My husband and I are extremely high risk," she said. "We are 70 and we don't even have an opportunity until April after many, many, many many other people get it. Who makes those decisions?"
Those priority decisions came from Idaho Gov. Brad Little's COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee. While Fletcher understands supply of the vaccine is limited right now, she does not understand why she and her husband are in the third tier of the state's recipients, even after convenience store workers.
Little addressed this concern on Tuesday during his weekly AARP conference call.
"It's all about the health care capacity, but some of those essential workers are vectors for spread that are and have been exposed all along in this," Little explained. "That's why some of those essential workers that have that every day exposure are in the group. But believe me, senior citizens are a top priority."
You can read more about the vaccination timeline in Idaho here.
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