Commissioners say employees won't be forced to vaccinate

Kootenai County commissioners are against enforcing employee participation in a COVID-19 vaccine.

During a meeting Wednesday, Treasurer Steve Matheson asked if employees would be required to vaccinate or face other options, like working from home.

“Then I’ll have to work from home,” Commissioner Chris Fillios said. “It’s not that I don’t want to take the vaccine, but I won’t take it until I’m convinced it’s safe.”

Commissioners Leslie Duncan and Bill Brooks agreed with the board chairman, saying they would never mandate any county employee vaccine.

“It’s hard for me because it’s a 99.5% survival rate,” Duncan said. “So to demand that kind of thing, I’m just not there.”

Meanwhile, commissioners did agree to allow use of county facilities for public vaccinations.

Across the country, state health districts are finalizing their COVID-19 vaccination distribution centers and plans before the Nov. 1 Centers for Disease Control deadline.

Panhandle Health District reached out to Kootenai County’s Human Resources Department about their willingness to become a vaccination site.

Nationally, health districts plan to administer the potential vaccine in tiers. Sylvia Proud, the county’s human resources director, says PHD places the critical workforce like health care workers, first responders and essential employees first.

“Next level would be those at risk — vulnerable populations,” Proud said. “Then, the general population and those that are healthy would be the next tier.”

PHD officials believe a vaccine could be available next spring.