BOISE, Idaho — Editor's note: A St. Luke's spokesperson told KTVB that all appointments for their available vaccines were reserved by early Monday morning. They will not be taking any more appointments until the next shipment of vaccines arrives.
It’s been a long time coming for many Idahoans. On Monday, many seniors in the Gem State will receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The next phase of the state's vaccine rollout includes over 369,000 Idahoans 65 years and older.
Due to limited vaccine supply, many healthcare providers are deciding to either only accept appointments for those 80 years and older, or encourage their patients to let the most vulnerable go first.
“At Primary Health we knew that all of our patients who are 65 and older would be very anxious to get their vaccine, and we have close to 15,000 patients so it's a lot of patients,” said David Peterman, Primary Health CEO. “Those patients that are 85 and older and have chronic diseases are more vulnerable and frankly it’s harder for them to get an appointment because maybe they don't even have the internet."
Peterman said the medical group has been contacting people 85 years and older to schedule appointments since Friday via email. If that patient does not respond to the email, Primary Health will contact them directly.
”Sometimes, these are people that sometimes have problems with hearing, have problems with vision, and rely on a relative or a son or a daughter and we know on their charts to contact them,” he said.
St. Luke’s is also asking that healthy people 65 and older wait and let those 80 years and older or with serious health conditions go first. On Feb. 1 at 8 a.m., patients can schedule an appointment through their my chart app or they can call a provider.
Saint Alphonsus was also using an online scheduling site for senior patients to book appointments. On Saturday, Saint Als was forced to cancel many of its appointments due to a shortage in vaccine supply.
“Due to the national shortage of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, we are unable to guarantee a predictable supply to ensure that patients receive both their first and second doses to achieve immunity. Unfortunately, this shortage has resulted in us having to cancel appointments for first vaccines only at our Nampa hospital and SAMG clinics this week. Due to the increased demand in the next group of eligible Idahoans, appointments at our Boise hospital have filled up,” said Saint Alphonsus spokesperson Mark Snider.
Snider added that the reason they are not accepting first dose appointments is in an effort to preserve vaccines for people who still need their second dose. The hospital will update their website and continue reaching out to seniors to schedule appointments when more vaccine is received.