EIPH opens COVID-19 vaccinations to ages 16+

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Everyone aged 16 and up in the Eastern Idaho Public Health District can now get protected from the coronavirus.

The agency opened up the age group starting Thursday.

Officials say there is more vaccine supply than demand, which means they can offer the shots earlier than Governor Brad Little's April 5 deadline.

Southeastern Idaho Public Health started the age group Wednesday.

Currently, Bonneville, Madison and Jefferson counties remain in the high risk category with a high number of reported COVID-19 cases, and there are at least two cases of people being fully vaccinated and then hospitalized with an infection.

The community health director says it should not be a concern because the vaccines are not 100% effective.

Still, he says the low number of breakout cases shows it's working.

"Your chance if you are in the general public in the last 90 days, let's call it, of having COVID, our total population was 2.9% having a COVID positive test or charged co-v2 test, right, 2.9%. That same opportunity if you're fully vaccinated was .074%, that is a drastically different number. So you can see the vaccine is effective, it is helpful, if you're fully immunized please help others around you to get fully immunized I think is the message."

Nearly 450,000 people in Idaho have had at least one dose of the vaccine. Nealy 285,000 have been fully vaccinated.