MAGIC VALLEY — With more than 64% of the population over the age of 18 fully vaccinated, Blaine County is leading the state in vaccination rates.
The County made headlines at the beginning of the pandemic after being one of the counties hardest hit by COVID-19 in the nation.
Currently, more than 51% of Blaine County's entire population is fully vaccinated.
“They are doing a fantastic job up there and part of that is because there is so much interest because we have had a lot of residents who have been actively engaged in covid-19 response since the very beginning," Brianna Bodily, Public Information Officer for South Central Public Health District, said.
SCPHD says there are a variety of factors that played a role in this, some of them being resources available and financial status.
“Many residents up there are a little bit more financially wealthy or are retired and have a little bit more time on their hands and were able to travel to receive their vaccine when other residents had to wait until it was in their community. So back when we saw a lack of vaccine and an extreme amount of interest some of those Blaine county residents were able to travel around to fill some of those appointments that had not been filled yet," Bodily said.
According to the CDC, 92.5% of those older than 65 in Blaine County are fully vaccinated, 64.9% over the age of 18 are fully vaccinated, and 51.2% of the full population are fully vaccinated.
Although Blaine County leads the state, Idaho still trails behind other states in the rest of the country. The Gem state currently ranks 36th in total vaccinations with only 35% of the total population having at least one dose of the vaccine.
“We want to continue to make sure everyone has easy access to a clinic and easy access to information about those vaccines so that they can make the best decision possible for themselves and their families,” Bodily said.
