COVID-19 vaccine efforts going well
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Vaccination clinics throughout the area have been busy since the early rollout of vaccine availability for everyone age 16 and up in both the Southeastern Idaho Public Health District and the Eastern Idaho Health District.
Whether you have had COVID-19 or not, everyone in our area can now make the choice to get vaccinated.
The availability of a COVID-19 vaccine for everyone 16 and older has kept health districts and private providers extremely busy this week with people anxious to get some protection against the virus, and they say so far the effort is going very well.
SIPH Director Maggie Mann says they are off to a good steady start with over 32 percent of people in the district being vaccinated so far.
“We hope that that continues because we would really like to get into the upper 80’s or lower 90’s percentile of our population vaccinated," she said.
Marjo Tonks just got her final vaccine and said, “We are just thrilled to have it done and over with. Everybody should do it for the protection of their kids and their community.”
She also said she is anxiously awaiting hugs from grandkids.
“I’m going to my grand kids, that’s what I want,” Tonks said.
Mann says even though case numbers are going down, it is important to stay vigilant right now .
“We just keep communicating that we are really close and we want to be able to cross that finish line, we don’t want to drop the baton ten yards short so if people can just hang in there with us and continue to make choices that protect the people around them," she said.
Once you’ve received the vaccine be careful what you do with your vaccination card.
“We don’t know yet if this vaccine will be something that we need a booster for somewhere down the line maybe in a year or three or five years. It’s a medical record so we recommend that you keep that someplace that you can access it easily if you need it,” Mann said.
And even if you are very excited to announce to your friends on social media you have received the vaccine don’t post a picture of your vaccination card. It has sensitive information that can be copied and used to make fake vaccine cards or worse yet steal your identity. Consider posting a picture of yourself instead. You can even use the hashtag #vaccinated.
