An Idaho health department has been banned from administering Covid-19 vaccines, a move experts are calling unprecedented.

A public health agency in Idaho has halted its Covid-19 vaccine distribution to residents in six counties after a close decision by its board.

Southwest District Health seems to be the first health department in the U.S. to face restrictions on providing Covid-19 vaccines, despite their critical role in public health services.

While health officials in Texas have restricted the promotion of Covid vaccines and Florida’s surgeon general has recommended against them, no other government entity has outright banned the vaccines.

Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs for the National Association of County and City Health Officials, stated, 'I haven’t seen anything like this before.' She added that health departments may stop offering the vaccine due to financial issues or low demand, but not due to concerns about the vaccine’s effectiveness.

The health district covering six counties along the Idaho-Oregon border includes three counties within the Boise metro area. Covid vaccine demand in the district has significantly dropped, with only 64 doses administered in 2024 compared to 1,601 in 2021. This decline mirrors trends in other vaccinations: Idaho has the highest childhood vaccination exemption rate in the U.S., and last year, the Southwest District Health Department had to manage a rare measles outbreak that infected 10 individuals.

On October 22, the board of the health department voted 4-3 to implement the vaccine ban, despite testimony from Southwest’s medical director emphasizing the vaccine’s importance.

Dr. Perry Jansen, the medical director, requested the board allow them to continue offering vaccines, acknowledging the ongoing debate around their risks and benefits. 'We don't take a blanket approach,' he said at the meeting. 'This is a careful and reasoned strategy.'

Jansen’s appeal was met with over 290 public comments, many demanding an end to vaccine mandates or taxpayer-funded vaccines—neither of which were in place in the district. Several prominent critics of the Covid vaccine, including Dr. Peter McCullough, a Texas cardiologist selling 'contagion emergency kits' containing unapproved drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, also spoke at the meeting. These drugs are not authorized to treat Covid-19 and can have harmful side effects.

Board Chairman Kelly Aberasturi was well-acquainted with many of the voices advocating for the ban, having previously encountered them at local protests against pandemic restrictions.

Aberasturi, who expressed his doubts about the Covid-19 vaccines and national public health authorities to The Associated Press, shared during the meeting and in his interview that he supported the board’s decision, but was 'disappointed' by it.

He argued that the board had overstepped its bounds by interfering with the doctor-patient relationship and potentially set a precedent for blocking other vaccines or treatments in the future.

Board members who voted in favor of the ban contended that individuals could seek vaccination elsewhere and that administering the shots could be seen as endorsing their safety. Despite widespread evidence of vaccine safety and their role in saving millions of lives, some people remain hesitant due to misinformation.

Jansen and Aberasturi pointed out that many individuals seeking vaccines at the health department—such as the homeless, homebound individuals, and those in long-term care or immigration processes—had no other means of access.

Aberasturi, who has experienced homelessness himself, empathized with those in need, saying, 'I know how hard it can be when you’re just trying to get by. This is exactly where we should be offering support.'

‘But some board members have never experienced that reality, so they don’t fully grasp the situation,’ Aberasturi said.

State health officials have advised that people 'consider getting the Covid-19 vaccine.' AJ McWhorter, spokesperson for the Idaho health department, chose not to comment on matters related to the public health district, but mentioned that Covid-19 vaccines remain available at community health centers for uninsured individuals.

Aberasturi stated he plans to propose at the next board meeting that the health department be permitted to vaccinate elderly patients and long-term care residents. He emphasized that the board's responsibility is to protect the 'health and well-being' of local residents, expressing that the process had not been thoroughly evaluated in this case.