BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Dept. of Health and Welfare (IDHW) announced Wednesday that long-term care residents and staff are now receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. As of Wednesday, 56,225 doses of the vaccine have been sent to Idaho.
The doses provided have been administered to healthcare providers across the state. Enrolled healthcare providers are giving initial vaccinations to residents and healthcare workers of long-term care facilities.
Vaccinations in long-term care facilities began on Monday as part of the first group of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Some vaccines are being administered through The Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, a partnership between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CVS and Walgreens.
Of the vaccine doses the state has received to date, 15,600 have been given to Walgreens and CVS for administration in residential care facilities that opted to participate in the program.
The facilities that are not participating in the program will be vaccinated by vaccinators they select.
Idaho is expected to receive an additional 1,950 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. The state predicts all long-term care residents and staff who want the vaccine will have received it by mid-February.
"We are happy to report the vaccination of our healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities is proceeding well," said Administrator Elke Shaw-Tulloch, Division of Public Health. "This is an exciting time to have the vaccine available in Idaho. I appreciate the interest in the vaccine, and we will be sharing more information as it is available. The situation evolves rapidly, but Idaho's goal remains to make sure all Idahoans who want the vaccine will be able to get it when they become eligible."
More information on the COVID-19 vaccine timeline can be found on the state website.
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