Governor Moves Up Date For Full Vaccinations
The state of Montana looks like it’s ahead of the game when it comes to COVID vaccinations.
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte announced last week that the goal has changed in the state regarding when vaccinations will be available for all Montanans. Instead of the previous mid-July goal, Gianforte said the goal is now April 1 for all residents over the age of 16.
President Biden has announced that the national goal is for vaccinations to be available for all residents by the end of May.
“The federal government has been following our lead for some time,” Gianforte said during a press conference.
The governor noted that the key for life to get back to as close as normal as possible is for all residents to get vaccinated. He said the vaccines are proving to be safe and effective.
“When my name comes up, I will be in line to get it,” Gianforte said. He added about vaccinations, “It will help us get back to a more normal life.” He looks forward to a time when churches, restaurants and sports are back to normal, and when masks can be thrown away.
Gianforte said the state’s approach to target the most vulnerable with the shots has been working. On the day of the press conference, only three counties had more than 100 cases. The last time that the state had fewer than 900 cases was July 13, 2020.
“Our hope is growing stronger,” Gianforte said.
He said residents should look at the website of their county public health office to get the best information regarding getting a vaccination.
Area Statistics
As of Sunday, March 21, Roosevelt County has sjx active cases and two current hospitalizations. There have been 53 COVID-related deaths reported in the county.
As of Monday, March 22, Valley County’s active count was 13. There have been 847 recovered cases and 11 reported COVID-reported deaths.
Daniels County had zero active cases as of Monday, March 22. 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 no active cases as of Monday, March 22. There are 181 recovered cases. There has been one COVID-related death in the county.
The Phillips County Health Department was reporting eight active cases as of Monday, March 22. Four hundred and ninety-six cases are listed as recovered. There are five active hospitalizations and 16 reported COVID-related deaths.
For Richland County, there are three active cases and 1,189 recovered cases as of Tuesday, March 16. Total deaths are 16. There have been 1,208 total cases.
Statewide
According to Montana health officials, the state’s total number of known cases now stands at 103,452 since the start of the pandemic. There have been 1,168,309 tests conducted.
Around the state, there are 880 active cases. There are 47 active hospitalizations.
By Tuesday, March 23, a total of 1,419 deaths have been reported statewide. A total of 101,153 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, 3,329 total doses have been administered. There have been 1,325 fully immunizations.
As of Monday, March 22, 411,977 total doses have been administered in Montana. There are 160,114 fully immunized Montanans. The dashboard can be found at https://www.arcgis. com/apps/MapSeries/ index.html?appid=7c-34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b.
The Montana Department of Public Health’s first dose COVID vaccine allotment is set to increase by 2,370 doses this week, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester announced. The state will get an additional 1,170 Pfizer first doses (for a total of 15,210) and another 1,200 Johnson & Johnson shots, as well as 10,400 Moderna first doses, bringing the total to 26,810 first doses, up from 24,440 last week.
These doses are specifically allocated to the state and do not include doses allocated to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Services or other federal programs delivered directly to Montana.
“This increase in doses is welcome progress, and I’ll keep working with the Biden Administration and Montana officials to continue ramping up vaccination supplies,” Tester said. “I’ll keep fighting to get even more shots in armswhich is our very best shot at getting folks back to work, fully reopening our schools, and getting our businesses and families on the right track.”
