BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Dept. of Health and Welfare (IDHW) held its weekly COVID-19 media briefing at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. During the meeting, Idaho medical experts discussed how the state plans to handle its vaccine rollout for children ages 5-11, as well as the impact COVID-19 can have on a young child.
IDHW Director Dave Jeppesen, Public Health Administrator Elke Shaw-Tulloch, State Epidemiologist Dr. Christine Hahn, Deputy State Epidemiologist Dr. Kathryn Turner, Idaho Bureau of Laboratories Chief Dr. Christopher Ball and Idaho Immunization Program Manager Sarah Leeds were present during the meeting.
Dr. Lisa Barker, a pediatrician at St. Luke's Children's Treasure Valley Pediatrics in Meridian, was also present during the meeting.
The weekly media briefing comes several days after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 5-11.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to make more detailed recommendations on which children should receive the vaccine on Tuesday. A final decision from the agency's director is expected shortly afterward.
During last week's meeting, Jeppesen said the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are declining, but are still too high for hospital resources. On Monday, 1,001 COVID-19 cases were reported and the 14-day average for new cases dropped below 1000 (990) for the first time since Sept. 8 during this surge.
The meeting will be live-streamed on KTVB.COM and the KTVB YouTube channel. To watch the briefing live, click below:
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