Chairman Elliott stated he needed to take up the dialogue on a potential face masks mandate to gauge if a particular assembly was wanted to vote on it.
CALDWELL, Idaho — At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Southwest District Well being held a Board of Well being assembly to debate the COVID-19 scenario within the district and the board’s plan to roll out the brand new vaccines.
In the course of the board’s dialogue, Dr. Sam Summers, the board’s doctor consultant, introduced up the thought of implementing a district-wide face masks mandate as a way to sluggish the unfold of the coronavirus. Nevertheless, the remainder of the board was against the mandate.
Chairman Bryan Elliott defined that he needed to take up the dialogue on a potential face masks mandate to gauge if a particular assembly was warranted. However by the top of the board’s dialogue, Elliott stated it was clear it would not move the board even when they did take it up for a vote.
“I assume I needed to double-check everyone’s emotions on this to see whether or not there was any motive to have a particular assembly for a masks mandate vote,” he stated. “At the moment, I am not seeing that. From what I’ve heard at the moment, I do not suppose it is, it is a viable motive to have that. I simply do not suppose it will move in any respect. Except there’s change.”
After the board’s dialogue, the district’s COVID-19 incident commander, Jaime Aanensen, defined the scenario that the district’s COVID-19 response workforce is going through. She stated the district’s workers has put in about 40,000 hours of labor for the reason that pandemic started in March.
Aanensen added that the district is struggling to rent further workers to assist with the rising workload.
“One in all our largest challenges continues to be staffing to have the ability to sustain with the workload. We have now encountered challenges of recruiting some positions like registered nurses medical techniques, and bilingual workers,” she stated.
She additionally stated workers are working hybrid shifts from the workplace and residential so the district’s constructing has sufficient room for the extra workers.
Southwest District Well being’s public preparedness supervisor, Ricky Bowman, additionally answered board members’ questions concerning the district’s vaccine roll-out plan however first spoke about how fast-paced the distribution and rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines have been.
“I need to preface this by saying that that is transferring at such a quick tempo with issues altering that, I would not be shocked with some info that I let you know now could change inside, , the upcoming hours or days and so simply please perceive the fluid nature of the vaccine planning and the knowledge that we’re getting from well being and welfare from different companions,” he defined.
He stated 2,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine shall be distributed this week to the district and one other 2,000 doses will arrive in three weeks for the second shot of the vaccine.
Bowman additionally defined that the district will obtain one other cargo of the vaccine in January for folks apart from first responders.
Dr. Clay Roscoe, who can be engaged on the vaccine rollout, stated they’re nonetheless understanding the plans to distribute the vaccine to smaller counties and communities.
The difficulty, he defined, is that the Pfizer vaccine must be moved in delivery containers which might be set to minus 86-degrees celsius. The vaccine can be sorted into particular person delivery packages within the cargo and the packages permit the vaccine to be saved in a fridge or freezer for 5 days. As soon as out of the packaging, the vials shall be thawed out in six hours.
With these tight time home windows for administering the vaccine, Dr. Roscoe stated SWDH and St. Luke’s are going through related points of getting to distribute the vaccine at a centralized location.
In line with the Idaho Dept. of Health and Welfare, Idaho ought to obtain 13,650 doses of the newly licensed COVID-19 vaccine.
