Officials Continue Vaccinations
Indian Health Services, Roosevelt County Health Department and Roosevelt Medical Center continue to vaccinate people in Phase 1B of the governor’s phased vaccination plan — ages greater than 70, people of color and those with certain high risk medical conditions.
RCHD held a vaccination clinic at the Culbertson Armory Feb. 2, where approximately 100 people received their first doses, and provided second dose vaccinations to Faith Lutheran Home residents and staff on Feb. 3.
To date, these are the numbers of COVID vaccines administered in Roosevelt County and Fort Peck Reservation: Roosevelt Medical Center: 69 first doses; Roosevelt County Health Department: 264 first doses; Indian Health Services: Unavailable at press time.
Because entities are being notified only a week in advance of their vaccine allocations, COVID vaccination clinics cannot be planned very far ahead of time. When IHS plans a clinic, they notify the public by radio and Facebook. RCHD currently has a list of more than 500 people who have requested the vaccine in all phases. As doses are received, appointments are set up with those who are in the current phase.
Both IHS and RCHD report receiving about half of the vaccine quantities ordered. It is hoped for and predicted that allocations will increase, but it is not known when that will happen.
Schools in Roosevelt County continue to be a hotspot for COVID-19 cases. COVID-19 is still a relatively new disease, and its long-term effects for those who contract it are yet unclear. Due to the fact that children cannot receive the COVID vaccine, we must continue to take extra precautions when working with and around school-age children. This includes wearing masks, social distancing, washing hands and staying home when sick.
When deciding whether to attend a public event, such as basketball games, please consider all risks to yourself and those around you before making a final decision on whether to attend. If you do attend, please wear a mask and social distance. These measures only work if everyone abides by them. Let’s work together to reduce the levels of COVID cases in our community!
To get signed up on the Roosevelt County Health Department list for COVID vaccinations:
•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.
RCHD schedules clinics based on vaccine availability, as determined by the state.
When vaccine is available for your phase, you will be called with an appointment time and place for your vaccination.
The current group of people being vaccinated is Phase 1B: 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 high-risk 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 & 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.
Numbers reported by the county are different from the state. County numbers are more accurate at this time. Differences are largely due to delays in reporting practices between agencies. Numbers include cases from all of Roosevelt County, including those individuals residing within the bounds of the Fort Peck Nation.
This pandemic is highly disruptive to our lives in Northeast Montana. Everyone is tired of the measures we must continue to take to contain it, but unfortunately, it is not over yet. We must continue to work together as a community to contain the virus in order to protect the most vulnerable among us.
If you have questions about COVID-19 or the vaccine, please email: covid19taskforce@rooseveltcounty. org.
Area Statistics
This week’s Roosevelt County situation report includes: two new cases and 36 active cases for Jan. 31, six new cases and 38 active cases for Feb. 1, seven new cases and 39 active cases for Feb. 2, two new cases for Feb. 3, and seven new cases and 46 active cases for Feb. 4. There has been 54 COVID-related deaths in Roosevelt County.
Daniels County had four active cases as of Monday, Feb. 8. The county has 181 recovered cases and 192 cumulative cases. Seven deaths have occurred due to COVID-19 and/or complications. There are no cases currently hospitalized.
For Richland County, there are 32 active cases and 1,099 recovered cases as of Monday, Feb. 8. Total deaths are 15. There are 50-plus contacts being monitored.
Statewide
According to Montana health officials, the state’s total number of known cases now stands at 95,914 since the start of the pandemic. There have been 992,938 tests conducted.
