Health Department Offers Appointment System For Vaccine Distribution

On Jan. 11, Moderna, the company that produced the COVID-19 vaccine being used in Roosevelt County and on the Fort Peck Reservation, announced that protection from its vaccine should last a year. It will take a year for the statement to be proven, but this is welcome news as vaccination continues in our area and around the world.

The Wolf Point IHS will conduct a vaccination clinic for IHS beneficiaries on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the Community Center in Wolf Point from 9 a.m. to noon.

•Roosevelt County Health Department is utilizing an appointment system for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. People from all phases of the Montana immunization plan are encouraged to sign up in either of the following ways:

•Call RCHD at 406-653-6223 or 406-653-6124.

•Go to the Roosevelt County Health Department Facebook page, click on the sign-up link and complete the information.

•When vaccine is available for your phase, you will be called with an appointment time and place for your vaccination.

Gov. Greg Gianforte announced on Tuesday, Jan. 19, that Montana is moving into Phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan.

“Focusing on the most vulnerable Montanans in our vaccine distribution will save lives. Thanks to the hard work of our local health jurisdictions and health care workers, Montana’s most vulnerable now have access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines,” Gianforte said.

The current group of people being vaccinated fall under Phase 1B as follows:

•Persons aged 70 years and older.

American Indians and other people of color who may be at elevated risk for COVID-19 complications.

Persons aged 16-69 with highrisk medical conditions. Qualifying medical conditions include: cancer; chronic kidney disease; COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease); Down Syndrome; heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies; immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant; severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2); Sickle cell disease; Type 1 and 2 Diabetes mellitus. On a case-by-case basis, medical providers may include individuals with other conditions that place them at elevated risk for COVID-19 related complications.

As COVID-19 vaccines become available to the public, basic public health measures will still be needed to slow the spread. Even after vaccination, people in our communities will need to wear masks, practice social distancing, wash hands, and avoid crowds as these measures prevent exposure to the virus. Vaccines can protect a person after exposure to the virus, but not being exposed in the first place remains critically important to disease prevention.

If you have questions about COVID-19 or the vaccine, email covid-19taskforce@rooseveltcounty.org.

Recent COVID figures for Roosevelt County include: Jan. 12: zero new cases and eight active cases; Jan. 13: two new cases, nine active cases; Jan. 14: one new case, 11 active cases; Jan. 15: two new cases, 11 active cases; Jan. 16: zero new cases, 10 active cases; Jan. 17: zero new cases, 11 active cases. Area Statistics As of Jan. 17, Roosevelt County has 11 active cases. There have been 53 total COVID-related deaths in the county.

In McCone County, there are two active cases. There have been 151 confirmed cases and 149 are listed as recovered.

As of Thursday, Jan. 14, Valley County’s active count was 48. Valley County reported 10 deaths due to COVID-19 and/or complications.

Daniels County had 17 active cases as of Tuesday, Jan. 19. The county has 152 recovered cases and 174 cumulative cases. Five deaths have occurred due to COVID-19 and/or complications. There are no cases currently hospitalized.

The Phillips County Health Department was reporting seven active cases as of Thursday, Jan. 14. Four hundred and twenty-eight cases are listed as recovered. There are two active hospitalizations and 14 deaths. For Richland County, there are 25 active cases and 1,049 recovered cases as of Monday, Jan. 18. Total deaths are 13. There are more than 50 plus contacts being monitored. Statewide According to Montana health officials, a total of 881,412 tests have been conducted statewide since the start of the pandemic.

The state’s total number of known cases now stands at 89,576 since the start of the pandemic.

Around the state, there are 4,956 active cases. There’s been a total of 3,974 hospitalizations with 169 active hospitalizations.

By Tuesday, Jan. 19, a total of 1,093 deaths have been reported statewide. A total of 83,527 people are listed as recovered.

Several health mandates for Montana put into effect by former Gov. Steve Bullock were removed by new Gov. Greg Gianforte Jan. 15.

Restaurants, bars, breweries, distilleries and casinos no longer have to close at 10 p.m. Gianforte encourages businesses to follow public health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, but the governor removed capacity limits for businesses.

Former Gov. Steve Bullock’s directive requires face masking in any indoor space, open to the public, is mandatory for people ages 5 years and older. For children 2-4 years of age, face coverings are strongly encouraged. A drape may be used for babies. The mask mandate in Montana stays in effect, at least, for now.

In an earlier press conference, Gianforte said he will be willing to repeal the mask mandate when vaccines are distributed to the vulnerable