PHD offers COVID-19 vaccination scheduling online

KELLOGG — Due to the high volume of calls the Panhandle Health District has received, combined with the limited number of doses North Idaho is receiving, the local health agency has decided to add an online option scheduling vaccination appointments.

PHD Public Information Officer Katherine Hoyer announced Monday that PHD will release approximately 650 total appointments for their Kootenai, Shoshone and Benewah County vaccine clinics. Boundary and Bonner clinics are being scheduled by enrolled providers in those counties.

To help facilitate the distribution process, those looking to get the vaccine from PHD can now visit www.panhandlehealthdistrict.org/covid-19/vaccine/ and click the link to schedule an appointment.

When appointments first opened up to individuals 65 years of age or older last week, the PHD COVID-19 hotline received more than 12,000 calls on just Feb. 1 alone. This influx of calls overwhelmed the hotline staff and caused significant wait times.

While still asking for people's patience as they roll out the vaccine, Hoyer is hopeful that the new online option will make things easier for all involved.

"The biggest struggle is that we receive a very high demand and our supply is limited," she said. "We just want the community to know that we are doing everything we can. We aren't wasting any and we're putting it out there as quickly as we receive it."

PHD is currently receiving 3,800 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the state. These doses are then distributed by PHD throughout the five northern counties based on population and need.

As of Monday, PHD can confidently say that the first priority groups included in Phase 1a of the vaccine rollout have either been inoculated or have been offered the opportunity. These groups include health care workers, along with long-term care facility residents and staff. Those who fall in this category that have not received the vaccine are still welcome to schedule an appointment.

Phase 1a groups include:

• Hospital staff essential for care of COVID-19 patients

• Long-term care facility residents and staff (vaccine administration provided through the Pharmacy Partnership Program)

• Outpatient and inpatient clinic/medical staff who are unable to telework

• Home health care providers

• Emergency Medical Services

• Dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants

• Pharmacists, pharmacy techs and pharmacy aides

• Emergency management response workers

• Coroners

• First responders

• School nurses

Last week, PHD started accepting individuals included in the first part of the Phase 1b group, which includes individuals 65 years of age or older.

"We expect it to take a few weeks to get to everyone in that group," Hoyer said. "There's over 50,000 people that are 65 and over in the five northern counties."

Those eligible to receive the vaccine in Phase 1b include:

• Pre-K-12 school employees

• Child care workers

• Correctional and detention facility staff

• Adults age 65 and older

All appointments for PHD clinics will be released every Wednesday at 9 a.m. and are not not walk-in. If you register for a vaccine appointment, be sure to confirm that you are eligible to receive the vaccine per Idaho’s Vaccine Phases. When you arrive for your vaccination appointment, bring your driver’s license and/or proof of employment if applicable, so PHD can verify your eligibility.

PHD asks that individuals only register at one vaccine clinic. Registrations at multiple sites or on multiple days may be canceled. For those without internet access or anyone having trouble navigating the online scheduling, call PHD’s COVID-19 hotline for assistance, 877-415-5225.

In addition to PHD, the Silver Valley office being located in Kellogg at 35 Wildcat Way suite A, Heritage Health is also administering the vaccine locally. Based on population, the county is currently receiving roughly 350 doses a week — which are split between the two providers.

Heritage Health content strategist Marc Stewart explains that the Kellogg clinic at 740 W. McKinley Ave. is currently accepting drive-through vaccine appointments by phone and have been conducting them since last week.

"It was a little rainy and snowy, but it was going really smooth," he said.

Those looking to get the vaccine with Heritage should call 208-783-1267 to get on the waiting list.

While Shoshone Medical Center is an approved vaccine provider, CEO Paul Lewis states that his facility is not receiving or administering the vaccine to the community at this time.

"We are coordinating with PHD on their local clinic here in the community," he said. "Our main reason for doing that is with the limited supply that's currently coming in, both PHD and Heritage Health have a lot of availability and capacity to administer more doses."

If and when the number of doses allotted to Shoshone County rises, SMC will reevaluate to see if the community needs more access to it. All doses that would be sent to SMC are currently being added to the totals of the other two providers.