KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — The state of Idaho has launched a web page that aims to provide transparent data on the distribution and allocation of the COVID-19 vaccine throughout the state.
The new tool from the Idaho Division of Public Health comes after Gov. Brad Little issued an executive order aimed at helping Idaho speed up its vaccine rollout on Jan. 28. It provides updated information on the number of vaccine doses that individual providers and local public health districts have been allocated and the number of doses that remain for them to administer.
The tool will be updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
As of Sunday, Feb. 7, 189,884 doses had been administered in Idaho out of 266,852 distributed to the state, according to the online tool. That means 71% of doses received in Idaho have been given to patients.
In the Panhandle district, which includes Idaho's five northern counties, 24,403 doses have been administered out of 36,725 distributed, according to the tool. That equates to 70% of received doses that have been administered. In the North Central District, that number is sitting at 63%.
Panhandle Health District, which serves as a vaccine provider in North Idaho, has administered 42% of its distributed doses. For Kootenai Health, that number is sitting at 93%. Northwest Specialty Hospital in Post Falls has administered 89% of its distributed doses, according to the tool.
Here is a full breakdown from the Idaho Division of Public Health for the Panhandle area:
The Idaho Division of Public Health clarified that first and second doses are included in distributions. Some of the doses that have not been administered may be scheduled for an appointment or may not be reported in the system yet, as providers have 72 hours to report after a dose has been administered.
Second doses of the vaccine cannot be given until at least 12 days after the first dose and providers receive them up to a week prior to when they are due.
Little's office said Idaho's progress on vaccine administration has improved since the governor issued the executive order, which implemented new reporting requirements for vaccine providers. The dashboard helps ensure the vaccine is getting out in a timely fashion, Little said.
"Safety and transparency are paramount in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccine in Idaho," Little said in a statement. "We owe it to Idahoans to get first doses administered to people who want it within seven days of the doses coming into Idaho.
"Using the new COVID-19 vaccine administration transparency data available through my executive order," he added, "we will be able to tell if a provider is not administering their allocated doses quickly enough so we can step in to help speed things up."
Little urged Idahoans to remain patient because the demand for the vaccine still far outpaces the supply.
Last week, Idaho residents ages 65 and older became eligible to receive the vaccine. Since Idaho is currently receiving only about 25,000 doses a week, it's expected to take several months to work through that population.