No longer justified : Idaho parents, kids burn masks at state Capitol in protest of mask mandates
By Caitlin McFall
COVID variants stoke fears of ‘third wave’ in the coming weeks
Dr. David Rubin, director of PolicyLab, talks about the latest projections for the spread of COVID-19 and its variants in the next few weeks.
Parents in
Idaho headed to the state s Capitol building with their children Saturday to burn their masks, contesting continued mask mandates and violating local orders.
Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little never enforced a state-wide mask mandate, but several of the state’s districts enforced county-wide regulations to slow the spread of the deadly virus.
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IDAHO FALLS Eastern Idaho Public Health won’t be issuing any more public health orders on COVID-19, including mask mandates, after a decision by its board Thursday.
Although it is still highly recommending individuals, businesses, schools and others to implement proper safety protocols, personal responsibility is now being pushed rather than countywide enforcement.
“(Hospitals) are in a good position to care for all patients needing hospital care. Our kids are in school, our businesses are open, and more and more people every single week are getting vaccinated. With all of this being said, I feel that continuing to issue public health orders is no longer justified,” EIPH District Director Geri Rackow said in the board meeting. “I make a plea for personal accountability for everyone to make the choice for yourself to help in slowing the spread of the disease.”
Eastern Idaho Public Health uses drawing to schedule vaccinations for seniors Yeah, it s going to be work on our end but we re willing to do that to keep it as simple as possible for the seniors, the director of the health department said. Author: Brian Holmes Updated: 5:31 PM MST February 4, 2021
BOISE, Idaho Idahoans scrambled for the coronavirus vaccine like it was GameStop s stock before everyone s parents found out about it or a Turbo Man action figure on Christmas Eve when the state began allowing seniors to get vaccinated on Monday.
The rollout wasn t a Fyre Festival-level of a disaster, but St. Luke s had over 100,000 people trying to get one of the hospital system s 1,500 vaccine appointments, which were all booked within eight minutes.
EIPH simplifies vaccine registration process
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)-After a chaotic opening of COVID-19 vaccination registration last weekend, Eastern Idaho Public Health has modified its registration process.
To get started, visit the EIPH website.
In its first weekend for eligible seniors 65 and older, most people found it difficult to navigate the registration process. Now, EIPH will assign available vaccination appointments randomly to all eligible individuals who register on the waiting list before February 11, at 8 a.m.
For 10 days after that, EIPH will call or text to inform people who were randomly selected, of their appointment date. That will range anywhere from February 15 through the end of March.
Vaccination appointments filled within minutes
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)-Eligible people hoping to secure an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination Saturday found disappointment instead.
The available time slots were filled and the registration closed within minutes of opening. The Eastern Idaho Public Health District filled the available slots through its website and by phone.
EIPH said there are 30,000 people in the 8-county district eligible for the vaccine at this time. Those are people age 65 and older. There were only 2,100 doses of vaccine available.
The district will be holding clinics throughout the month of February. The next sign-up period will begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday, February 11.