VACCINE: Irresponsible to ban shot

I am writing to share my shock and dismay over the Southwest District Health Board decision to ban COVID-19 shots in 6 Idaho counties. There is no question that the COVID vaccine is safe and has saved countless lives in Idaho and around the nation. For any health district not to allow the COVID vaccine to be administered seems to me to be ideologically driven rather than based on good science and public health.  

My brother died of COVID-19 in 2021 because he listened to the misinformation and conspiracy theories surrounding the vaccine. When he was on his deathbed struggling to breath, he said that he wished he had gotten the shots. But by then it was too late.  

It is my understanding that the purpose of a health department is to promote and protect public health and make it possible for those who want vaccines to be able to get them. Even though they can get the shots in other places, this decision will make it more difficult and inconvenient for people in those counties who value vaccination.  

This decision sends the wrong message to Idahoans at a time when we need all the vaccine protection we can get from COVID and other diseases. Some people may not want the vaccine themselves. That certainly is their choice. But it is irresponsible to make it difficult for others, like me, not to be able to get it. As a Kootenai County resident, I hope our local health district board is not tempted to make a similarly bad decision.        

TIM DOLAN

Spirit Lake