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SANDPOINT — Governor Brad Little paid a visit to a vaccination clinic at the Bonner County Fairgrounds while touring the Panhandle on Friday.

"The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Idaho is my number one priority, and we are doing everything we can to get people vaccinated as safely, quickly, fairly, and transparently as possible," Little said in a statement posted to Twitter.

Friday's clinic was for essential workers who had already received their initial dose of the novel coronavirus vaccine. It was an orderly affair in which an Idaho State guardsman checked people's temperatures with a digital thermometer as they came in as people waited in socially distanced folding chairs. After receiving the doses, which were administered by the North Idaho Medical Reserve Corps, people waited 15 minutes to ensure there were not adverse reactions to the vaccine.

Little's visit coincided with an executive order meant to ensure transparency in the vaccine rollout and to speed up the process. The order further requires providers to use their allocations of the vaccine within seven days of receiving it.

Demand for the vaccine in Idaho is outstripping supply, a problem which was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, which reported the Gem State is receiving the second-fewest doses per capita in the nation.

Little said he has not received a satisfactory or complete answer as to why Idaho has received only 10,300 doses per 100,000 residents.

Idaho's rapid growth is also proving problematic. Little said federal officials are relying on outdated population data.

"We're the fastest growing state. But even if you factor all that in there, we're still not getting our fair share.

The Panhandle Health District, meanwhile, announced it is preparing to begin scheduling appointments and vaccinating individuals who are 65 years of age or older starting on Monday.

The district, which serves the five northern counties, administered 11,588 initial doses of the vaccine for those who in the first phase of the rollout, which includes medical and healthcare workers, K-12 school employees, childcare workers, first responders, and correctional and detention facility staff.

“We know the 65 and older population have been eager to receive the vaccine,” said Don Duffy, health services administrator at PHD. “We also know that this is a large portion of our population and it will take time and effort to administer vaccines to everyone who would like to receive it. We are grateful to have our partners assisting us in this effort.”

The health district will receive 2,800 doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week and that will increase to 3,800 next week and the weeks thereafter. Doses will be evenly distributed to each county based on population, the health district said.

Registration will begin in February and all vaccines are given by appointment only.

The enrolled vaccine providers are asking that the public register in the county that they reside and only register an individual at one vaccine clinic. Registrations at multiple sites or on multiple days may be canceled.

Currently, the vaccine clinics are available to those who are in the Phase 1a and the top-priority groups in the Phase 1b categories of the categories of the vaccine distribution plan, PHD said.

Info: panhandlehealthdistrict.org/covid-19/vaccine

Staff writer Craig Northrup contributed to this report.