IDAHO — The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced more than 50% of Idahoans age 18 and older have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. Nationally, 65.5% of people 18+ have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
707,300 Idahoans have received the vaccine and 644,342 people are fully vaccinated, depending on the brand. 1,303,233 total doses of the vaccine have been administered in Idaho.
Anyone 12 and older can get vaccinated and there are several ways to get the vaccine if you haven't yet. You can register through the state and have a provider call you, find a vaccine provider near you and schedule your appointment, or find a walk-in location with no appointment needed.
The Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine approved for people 12 and older. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available for those 18 and older.
State health leaders do not think the state will see 70% vaccinated by July 4, but hope vaccine incentives will continue motivating Idahoans to get the shot. Providers are planning to offer vaccinations at summer events like concerts and rodeos.
"So one grantee is doing something called Rock the Shot where the provider is partnering with events like Treefort, Alive After Five, Kleiner Park in Meridian, some wineries, the Botanical Garden and so forth," said Elke Shaw Tulloch, Public health administrator of IDHW.
Health leaders do anticipate seeing cases of virus variants over the next few months. So far, Idaho has only detected one case of the Delta variant, but not every positive is screened. The state is working to increase testing capacity.
The Biden administration conceded that it will likely miss its current goal to have 70% of U.S. adults partially vaccinated by July 4. The administration met two previous vaccine goals set by the president.
Biden said he hoped to deliver 100 million doses in his first 100 days in office, meeting that goal just 58 days into his term. He doubled that goal to 200 million doses in his first 100 days in office, a milestone he reached with about a week to spare.
