Idaho health agency halts COVID vaccine program, joining backlash
Adrianna RodriguezA health department in Idaho has voted to halt its COVID-19 vaccination program, joining the growing number of regional governments pushing back against federal vaccination recommendations.
These actions concern some public health experts who fear health departments elsewhere in the country may stop offering vaccines and other vital health services.
Board members at Southwest District Health, outside of Boise, questioned the vaccine’s safety during their Oct. 22 meeting and narrowly voted to stop providing the shot in the six counties they serve.
Health departments in Texas, Florida and Michigan that led vaccination campaigns in their communities at the height of the pandemic have also pushed back against the COVID-19 vaccine.
Last year, Texas policymakers banned health departments and other organizations funded by the state government from using funds to promote their vaccination efforts.
The Florida Department of Health issued guidance in September warning Floridians not to get mRNA COVID-19 shots after Joseph Ladapo, the state's surgeon general, recommended people avoid them in 2023.
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In Michigan, commissioners in Ottawa County turned down a $900,000 grant for their health department in September. Joe Moss, chair of the commission, said at the time he was “opposed to accepting any COVID grants,” according to the The Holland Sentinel. The revised budget came a year after threats to slash funding sparked local protests.
In Idaho last month, some residents applauded the decision by the Southwest District Board to ban COVID-19 shots. Judy Call, 74, who submitted an email for the public comments portion of the meeting, said the board members made the "right call."
“I am grateful that this particular health district had the courage to stand up against the enormous pressure to ‘fall in line,'” said Call, who lives in Twin Falls, Idaho, about two hours from Boise, outside the region affected by the decision.
However, legal and public health experts fear the board’s decision may prompt other health departments to halt their vaccine programs and other services.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still reports nearly 300 weekly deaths nationwide related to COVID-19.
People who don’t have access to affordable health care – including people who are unhoused or live in long-term care facilities – will likely be most affected, said Karl Minges, associate dean for research at the University of New Haven’s School of Health Sciences in Connecticut.
“It’s a local health department abandoning its duty,” he said. “Their job is to uphold public health and respond to public health crises and they’re abandoning … those that have limited opportunities to get the vaccine from a local pharmacy or hospital.”
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