BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — After Gov. Brad Little's directive last week to roll out the vaccine to teachers and seniors aged 65 and older, Saint Alphonsus is working to increase vaccination sites through the Treasure Valley.
Saint Al's opened a new clinic Saturday to meet the additional demand.
More than 900 vaccination appointments were scheduled for Saturday in Boise and several hundred more in Nampa. The clinics operate from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm at both hospitals.
Idaho has now opened eligibility for the vaccine to the frontline and essential workers in phase 2... which includes teachers, daycare workers, first responders, and public safety workers.
"I'm really glad because the kids are coming back to school next week," said Heather Craig, a teacher at Liberty Elementary School. "I'm excited and this will help us feel a lot safer."
Dr. Dr. Patrice Burgess, Executive Medical Director Saint Al's says it was challenging to get everything set up initially, but now everything is going smoothly.
"When the Gov made his announcement, in the beginning, our phones were pretty overwhelmed, it took a while to get the website set up to get people registered," Burgess said. "That first day we weren't quite ready, but we were able to quickly get the website scheduling to accommodate the volumes."
Burgess says seeing such a successful vaccine rollout has brought hope to Idaho.
"It's really a positive thing because during these 9 or 10 months there's been a lot of tragedies and challenges," Burgess said. "This feels like something we're doing that is positive that is making different, so it's a really high l'espirit d'coeur in the clinics."
ncG1vNJzZmihlJa1sLrEsKpnm5%2BifK%2Bx1qxmpaeTlrlwv8Cipa1lkaG9qbvNrKysZaKkua2%2FjKisrWWRmbGqwMiopZqkXauupK%2FIp5xmm5yeu6qv0marqGWdmrK1ecOepJqmlA%3D%3D