Gianforte Discusses Vaccine Efforts In Montana
Gov. Greg Gianforte provided an update on the COVID vaccine efforts in Montana during a press conference held on Friday, Jan. 22.
Gianforte noted that 73,000 residents had received the vaccine as of Friday morning and that 14,000 Montanans are now fully immunized.
“Our vaccination plan will save lives,” the governor said.
Gianforte said that nearly all residents and staff at nursing homes and longterm facilities will have received their first dose by the end of January. He added that 13 percent of tribal communities will have been vaccinated.
Major Gen. Matt Quinn, the director of Montana’s COVID-19 Task Force, said the partnership with county health departments is going great.
“We’re doing the best we can with the limited supply we receive through the federal government each week,” Gianforte said. “We want to do more, and we can do more. We are ready and prepared to administer more vaccinations. We just need more doses.”
Montana will receive 13,500 new doses each week, according to the federal officials.
“We’re expecting that to go up every week,” Gianforte said.
The governor says Senate Bill 65 aims to provide the vaccine to the state’s most vulnerable citizens and to help small businesses with liability protection. “We’re tracking the bill and are encouraged by its progress,” Gianforte said. The governor says he continues to take pre-cautions such as wearing a mask, and he urges residents to take the same approach.
“We’re not out of the woods yet. We must continue to take proactive, precautionary steps to limit the spread of the virus,” Gianforte said.
