BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee (CVAC) met Friday at noon to discuss the "areas pending decision" of Group 3 in Idaho's vaccine rollout.
The meeting comes after President Joe Biden announced he will order states to allow all people 18 and older to be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine no later than May 1.
No action was taken during this meeting but the committee discussed how vaccine allocation would be prioritized when Group 3 becomes eligible.
The committee approved a plan on March 5 to allow Idahoans aged 55-64 with at least one medical condition to be eligible for vaccination. This group will remain eligible for one week, then Idahoans aged 55-64 in the general population will become eligible.
Committee members will vote on Monday to determine who will be eligible after the 55-64 age groups. If members vote for Option A, Idahoans aged 16-44 with at least one medical condition will become eligible to receive the vaccine for two weeks. After that, all Idahoans aged 16-44 will become eligible.
If members vote for Option B, a similar pattern to the previously approved plan will continue. For example, after the 55-64 age group's eligibility has closed, those aged 45-54 with at least one medical condition will become eligible for one week, then those aged 45-54 in the general population will be eligible for one week, and so on.
During a weekly briefing on Tuesday, Idaho Dept. of Health and Welfare (IDHW) Director Dave Jeppsen said 55% of those 65 and older have had at least one shot of the vaccine. However, the department is noticing that despite a large number of seniors who have not been vaccinated, the demand has started to decline a bit.
This comes as the supply of Moderna and Pfizer first doses increased to more than 45,000 a week.
Jeppsen says this has resulted in some vaccine providers struggling to fill some of their available appointments.
On March 6, frontline and similar essential employees in Subgroup 2.3 became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Central District Health's (CDH) jurisdiction, including Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley counties.
An estimated 43,000 Idahoans in CDH's region became eligible to receive the vaccine in this subgroup. The full list of those included in Subgroup 2.3 can be found here.
To watch the meeting, click below: