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In a press statement Tuesday, Gov. Brad Little once again encouraged Idahoans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Despite this, Idaho is currently tied for last in the nation for percentage vaccinated, tied with Montana and Alabama.

The statement from Gov. Little came after the North Central and Panhandle Public Health Districts activated the Crisis standards of care in their districts. The Crisis Standards of Care are a set of rules and guidelines to help healthcare providers make decisions when there is a health crisis or similar public disaster. The move was requested by Kootenai Heath in Coeur dAlene.

Currently, 40% of Idaho residents are fully vaccinated, according to information from the Center for Disease Control, being one of the lowest in the nation. Idaho is far behind the other states in the Northwest. Washington has a 61% vaccination rate across the state, and Oregon has a 59% vaccination rate. Both states are above the national average of 53%.

Gritman Medical Center is also urging Moscow residents to get vaccinated. Currently, 46% of Latah County residents are vaccinated, making the county the fifth in the state by percentage. Blaine County is currently the highest vaccinated county in Idaho, being 65% vaccinated. Blaine County is the only Idaho county with over a 50% vaccination rate.

According to Brianna Bodily, the public information officer for South Central Public Health, the district in which Blaine County resides, the effort to vaccinate was largely motivated by the members of the community.

Blaine county has a large population of retired individuals, as well as highly-educated individuals, Bodily said, Because of the high-risk population, Blaine County got access to the vaccine earlier this year, and the vaccination rates stayed high because of a highly educated population who is reading the science on the vaccines.

This was also compounded by how hard Blaine County was hit at the beginning of the Pandemic. Back in April 2020, Blaine County experienced an average of 44 new cases a day, which severely impacted the small community, and made them more open to the new vaccine.

People in Latah county, however, are more hesitant of the vaccine and its effects. Tia Wiese, a junior at the University of Idaho, is one of those people.

Theres not many years that its been out and available, and it is newly produced, Wiese said. She also has been looking at a lot of other sources for vaccine information.

One of the organizations publishing that information has been Americas Frontline Doctors, a group of doctors who claim that their rights are being taken from them. The independence to care for their patients without interference from government, media, and the medical establishment, as stated on their website. Many of their pieces support not getting vaccinated, and instead developing a natural immunity through exposure, as well as combating the virus with various supplements.

The organization has roots with the Council for National Policy and the Tea Party Patriots, both being far-right organizations with heavy ties to the Trump family, as seen when both former President Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. shared a press conference by the organization on social media.

Together, many Idahoans are left unsure if they should take the vaccine amongst overwhelming and conflicting information. Yet the CDC as well as Idaho Public Health still recommends vaccination for all Idahoans 12 and older. The CDC states that the COVID vaccines are safe, effective and have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

For students who are looking to get vaccinated or have further questions, please consult the University COVID-19 Dashboard at https://www.uidaho.edu/vandal-health-clinic/coronavirus/dashboard.

Abigail Spencer can be reached at [emailprotected] or on twitter at @SeaSnake31

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Idaho has Fallen Behind in Vaccination Rates - Argonaut