Changes Announced For Vaccine Distribution Plan

Two changes were made to the phased COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan this month, one by the state, and the other by the federal government.

As of March 8, the State of Montana Immunization Program will allow persons ages 60 and older and those with certain medical conditions to receive COVID-19 vaccine. The new phase is called “Phase 1B+.” Qualifying medical conditions include: Asthma (moderate to severe), Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain), Cystic fibrosis, Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow, transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune-weakening medications, Neurologic conditions, such as dementia, liver disease, pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues), thalassemia (a type of blood disorder) 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.

Roosevelt County COVID-19 Testing Testing for COVID-19 is still one of our primary tools to identify and potentially slow the spread of COVID-19, especially as variants of the virus are identified across the globe. Testing is readily available in Roosevelt County and all are encouraged to get tested if they have symptoms, have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or have been in a setting where people were not wearing masks or adhering to six-foot social distancing. Testing is safe and very important for keeping our community protected.

Area Statistics

As of Sunday, March 14, Roosevelt County has two active cases and one current hospitalization. There have been 53 COVID-related deaths reported in the county.

As of Thursday, March 11, Valley County’s active count was 16. There have been 827 recovered cases and 11 reported COVID-reported deaths.

Daniels County had zero active cases as of Tuesday, March 16. The county has 190 recovered cases and 197 cumulative cases. Seven deaths have occurred due to COVID-19 and/or complications. There are no cases currently hospitalized.

In McCone County, there are two active cases as of Monday, March 15. There are 180 recovered cases. There has been one COVID-related death in the county.

The Phillips County Health Department was reporting 12 active cases as of Monday, March 15. Four hundred and eighty-nine cases are listed as recovered. There are four active hospitalizations and 16 reported COVID-related deaths.

For Richland County, there are three active cases and 1,188 recovered cases as of Friday, March 12. Total deaths are 16. There have been 1,207 total cases.

Statewide

According to Montana health officials, the state’s total number of known cases now stands at 101,933 since the start of the pandemic. There have been 1,137,788 tests conducted.

Around the state, there are 1,041 active cases. There are 56 active hospitalizations.

By Tuesday, March 16, a total of 1,393 deaths have been reported statewide. A total of 99,499 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.

Gianforte issued a directive and an executive order on Friday, Feb. 12. The directive rescinds and replaces all prior directives implementing Executive Order 2-2021, which the governor issued on Jan. 13. Consistent with the governor’s announcement on Wednesday, Feb. 10, the new directive allows the statewide mask mandate to expire. Local jurisdictions may still choose to implement their own mask requirements. Gianforte emphasized how providing incentives and encouraging personal responsibility are more effective than imposing unenforceable government mandates.

On Feb. 10, Gianforte signed S.B. 65 into law which provides a liability shield to businesses, nonprofits, and others who protect their workers, their customers, and their clients from the spread of COVID-19.

In keeping with Gianforte’s Jan. 13 directive which removed restrictions on hours of service and capacity for businesses, the latest directive continues to encourage businesses to adopt industry best practices or public health guidance to protect their employees and customers. The directive also continues to promote the use of telehealth services, protect vulnerable Montanans from eviction or foreclosure, ease of licensing for health care professionals and a reduction in regulatory burdens.

Vaccine Doses

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services’ dashboard features county by county breakdown as far as vaccination numbers.

In Roosevelt County, 2,918 total doses have been administered. There have been 1,021 fully immunizations.

As of Monday, March 15, 362,219 total doses have been administered in Montana. There are 140,739 fully immunized Montanans.

The dashboard can be found at https://www.arcgis. com/apps/MapSeries/ index.html?appid=7c-34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b.