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'Where’s the urgency?' Long-term care facility supervisor frustrated by pace of vaccine rollout

Sherri Ellis says the vulnerable residents at Boise Village feel like they have been forgotten.

BOISE, Idaho — Coronavirus vaccines continue rolling into Idaho from both Pfizer and Moderna this week.

Healthcare workers and long-term care residents and staff are in the first priority group to receive vaccinations, but one supervisor at a long-term care facility says she is worried those vaccines will come too slowly.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare reports 7,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will be available for long-term care facilities beginning Monday, Dec.  28. But that doesn't mean all facilities will receive doses at the same time.

Sherri Ellis, the activity and volunteer Supervisor at Good Samaritan Society – Boise Village, says her facility will not receive any doses until sometime after the first of the year. 

RELATED: Who is next in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Idaho?

“We’re working with the most vulnerable population in our society right now," she said. "Where’s the urgency?”

Longterm care residents and staff are listed just below healthcare workers on the Idaho COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee's priority list.

Ellis says long-term care facilities are fighting the same war against COVID-19, but a very different battle. Staff at Boise Village need the vaccinations now in order to protect the elderly population they serve, she argued.

RELATED: Idaho governor sees life returning to normal by spring with vaccine

“So when we can’t have that vaccination, and it’s here and we’re willing to do it, it’s not OK," Ellis said. "Especially if we’re willing to do this to keep our residents safe, and to keep us healthy so we can take care of them, because who is going to take care of them if we’re not here?”

Compounding the issue, Ellis said, is the fact that Boise Village residents have been barred from having in-person visits from family for ten months and counting. The isolation is taking a toll, she said.

RELATED: US reaches deal with Pfizer for 100 million more coronavirus vaccine doses

“A lot of times in this population, people tend to feel like they are the last ones – the forgotten ones – and with this happening, it’s an exclamation mark,” she said.

At KTVB, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: www.ktvb.com/coronavirus.

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