State tracks vaccinations, CFVH expects more this week

The state of Montana is now tracking data on those receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as the number of coronavirus cases in the state.

This week, the Montana Department Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) began providing information on the number of vaccines administered in each county on its website, dphhs.mt.gov/covid19vaccine.

As of Tuesday, in Sanders County 342 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine had been administered to residents, with 23 residents having received the required two doses of the vaccine. The state also tracks the number of doses per 1,000 people. In Sanders County, that number was 33.3, the second lowest in the state. The county with the lower ratio of people vaccinated was Judith Basin with 31.2 doses per 1,000 people.

Dr. Gregory Hanson, CEO of Clark Fork Valley Hospital (CFVH), stated that 243 vaccinations had been received by the hospital as of Monday, and all of those had been administered to residents in the Phase 1A distribution group. Hanson said that the state allocated the number of doses based on the number of individuals in Sanders County in that category. “We have been told we will have 220 doses available in our next allotment this week,” Hanson said. “These will be sued for our initial Phase 1B distribution.”

The Sanders County Public Health Department has administered 50 vaccines as of Monday and has scheduled the recipients for their vaccine as well. Public Health Nurse Karen Morey said they are trying to schedule 20 vaccine appointments on Mondays and Wednesdays. “We get our vaccine from the State of Montana immunization program and so far, have not had any problem getting it.” Morey said they have a list of approximately 300 people wanting to receive the vaccine and are also encouraging people to take the CFVH survey online. “We are continuing to vaccinate healthcare workers as they are still reaching out to us but are also in Phase 1B,” Morey added.

CFVH continues to gather information with their COVID-19 Vaccination Interest Survey, available online at wwww.cfvh.org. With the survey, Sanders County residents can show they are interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine as it becomes available. Sanders County Council on Aging has offered to help individuals complete the survey by phone as well. For assistance, call 741-2343 between 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. “We are using the community survey to develop and schedule for ongoing dosage administration,” Hanson said. “The most important thing for someone to do if they want a vaccine is to complete our online survey.”