Idahoans urged to receive COVID-19 vaccine now as students head back to school – Office of the Governor – Governor Brad Little

Boise, Idaho Governor Brad Little held a press conference today at Nampa High School to highlight facts about unvaccinated Idahoans getting sick, strain occurring in hospitals,and to urge Idahoans on the fence about receiving the vaccine to get the shot now to protect students ability to learn in their classrooms this school year.

Idaho students are headed back to their classrooms starting next week. As Ive stated from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,our students need to be able to learn in their classrooms with their teachers and peers.Our main defense in ensuring the new school year is entirely in-person free from outbreaks and quarantines is theCOVID-19 vaccine, Governor Little said.

Governor Little highlighted Idaho-specific facts about COVID activity in the state.

The vaccine slows the spread of the disease, but epidemiologistswith the State of Idaho saythat with low vaccination rates and the highly contagious Delta variantcirculating in Idaho communitieswhich istwice as contagious as the original strain projections indicatecase counts could continue to increase through the fall and exceed last years peak for daily case countsinas soon astwo months.

Just over half of Idahos adult population is vaccinated,with the greatest share of those vaccinated over the age of 65.

I understand there are many who simply will not receive the vaccine under any circumstances,but there are also a lot of others who are on the fence about receiving the vaccine.To those friends and neighbors of ours waiting to receive the vaccine,the time to get the vaccine is now,when our students are going back to school.We can minimize or eliminate disruptions in the delivery of educationas well as sportsand extracurricular activitiesduring this school year if more Idahoans choose to get vaccinatednow. Our younger population cannot receive the vaccine andthey need us the adults tomake the right decision now so they can stay well and have a productive, successful school year, Governor Little said.

Parents of 12- to 17-year-olds are also encouraged to havetheirchildren vaccinated.Apediatrician can helpanswer questions, and parents are encouraged tomake an appointment to discussthe vaccine.

Over 197million Americans have received the vaccine safely.The risk ofseriousside effectsisextremely low. By comparison, the risk of death or hospitalization from the COVID-19 disease is much higher, and its growing.

Idaho hospitals are once again filling up with COVID patients almost all unvaccinated and access to basic healthcare services is getting pinched foreveryone.People with planned surgeries may have those surgeries delayed.People with heart attacks or strokes may find there is no bed available in their local hospital.

Governor Little also noted theimpacts of increased spread on ourworkforce.

We cannot afford to have such a large share of our workforce out sick all at once.Our workforce cannot afford to stay home because schools and day cares shut down due to outbreaks.This threatens Idahos phenomenal economic success, Governor Little said. Our hospitals wont be able to take in the influx of patients.And, importantly, it is not fair to our students who will experience disruptions in their school year.

Governor Little said he isdirecting$30 million toward expandedCOVID-19testingin Idaho K-12 schoolsto helpmeet the need.

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Idahoans urged to receive COVID-19 vaccine now as students head back to school - Office of the Governor - Governor Brad Little