Gov. Little Signs Order Tracking COVID19 Vaccine Rollout

BOISE, Idaho (KLIX)-Idaho's governor signed a new executive order forcing health districts and healthcare providers to report how the COVID-19 vaccine is being distributed to make sure it is being distributed in a timely manner. The order, Transparency in the Administration of the COVID-19 Vaccine, requires the health districts and providers to report on a regular basis the number of doses allocated, the number of shots given and how many doses of the vaccine are in inventory, to make sure the vaccine is being given in a timely fashion.

During a press conference Thursday, Gov. Brad Little said he signed the executive order to ensure the vaccine is being administered within seven days from when the providers receive it. He noted that the vaccines are shipped directly to the health districts by the manufacturers.

The order also created a website to track the distribution and administration of the vaccine for the various regions; the information will be available Feb. 8. “Safety and transparency are paramount in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccine in Idaho,” Governor Little said. “We owe it to Idahoans to get shots in the arms of people who want it within seven days of doses coming into Idaho. Using the information that will be available through my executive order, 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.”

If a provider or district is unable to distribute the vaccine within the seven days the state would step in. Already the governor has increased the number of Idaho National Guard troops to help with the logistics of distributing the vaccine. The availability of the vaccine is making distribution difficult in the state, which has been addressed with the new Biden administration. Gov. Little said he expects Idaho to get 24,000 doses of the vaccine a week in the coming months.