BOISE, Idaho (AP) – An unexpected cut in the number of doses of coronavirus vaccines Idaho will receive next week will disrupt distribution plans, a state immunization official said Friday.
Sarah Leeds, program manager for the Department of Health and Welfare, said the state had expected 17,550 but will get only 9,750.
“That has quite significant implications for our vaccination program,” Leeds said at a meeting of the Idaho COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee.
State officials have detailed plans for the vaccine distribution and will now have to recalibrate. Health officials said the reason for the reduced amount is not clear.
Leeds said the state has received all 13,950 doses it expected this week. Nearly 1,000 people have been vaccinated so far. Health professionals in direct contact with COVID-19 patients will receive the initial doses.
The vaccine Idaho has received so far is from Pfizer-BioNTech.
Officials said at the meeting that the state could receive an additional 28,000 doses from another company next week.
The Food and Drug Administration evaluated a shot developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health and was expected to give a green light soon, paving the way for its use to begin as early as Monday.
Moderna’s vaccine is easier to handle because it doesn’t need to be stored at ultra-frozen temperatures like the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. Both require two doses for complete protection.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said the virus infected more than 126,000 residents and killed 1,259.
The Vaccine Advisory Committee has drawn up a priority list for groups of people to receive the vaccine. On Friday, the committee made some minor shifts in the priority for workers who receive the vaccine.
In general, health professionals who come into direct contact with COVID-19 patients on the list are followed by outpatient personnel essential to maintaining hospital capacity. Others high on the list include staff from long-term care facilities, home care providers, and medical workers.
Residents of long-term care facilities are also in the starting category of those who receive the shots. Older adults are much more prone to serious illness or death from the virus.
The next category to be eligible to receive the vaccine is essential workers. That category starts with firefighters and police, followed by educators and daycare centers.
Prison workers, workers in the food processing industry, and workers in supermarkets and convenience stores are also on that list.