More Than 4,000 Vaccinated In Roosevelt County

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many families. At FEMA, the mission is to help people before, during and after disasters. We are dedicated to helping ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus. FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19-related funeral expenses incurred after Jan. 20, 2020.

Call FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline at 1-844-684-6333 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, Monday – Friday and begin the application process. or visit us online at FEMA.gov/funeral-assistance/ faq.

Who can apply for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance?

You may qualify if: You are a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who paid for funeral expenses after Jan. 20, 2020, and the funeral expenses were for an individual whose death in the United States, territories or the District of Columbia, may have been caused by or was likely the result of COVID-19.

What funeral expenses are covered?

COVID-19 Funeral Assistance will assist with expenses for funeral services and interment or cremation. Any receipts received for expenses that are not related to funeral services will not be determined eligible expenses. Expenses for funeral services and interment or cremation typically include, but are not limited to: transportation for up to two individuals to identify the deceased individual; transfer of remains; casket or urn; burial plot or cremation niche; marker or headstone; clergy or officiant services; arrangement of the funeral ceremony; use of funeral home equipment or staff; cremation or interment costs; costs associated with producing and certifying multiple death certificates; and additional expenses mandated by any applicable local or state government laws or ordinances.

Johnson and Johnson

Vaccine Distribution Paused

The U.S. announced a pause on the Johnson and Johnson vaccine on Tuesday, April 13, after the urging of the CDC and FDA.

The CDC noted that more than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine have been administered in the U.S. CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the J& J vaccine. In these cases, a type of blood clot called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis was seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets. All six cases occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, and symptoms occurred 6 to 13 days after vaccination. Treatment of this specific type of blood clot is different from the treatment that might typically be administered. Usually, an anticoagulant drug called heparin is used to treat blood clots. In this setting, administration of heparin may be dangerous, and alternative treatments need to be given.

CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until that process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution. This is important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot.

Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare. COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously. People who have received the J& J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider. Health care providers are asked to report adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System at https://vaers.hhs.gov/ reportevent.htmlexternal icon.

Area Statistics

As of Sunday, April 11, Roosevelt County has 12 active cases and one current hospitalization. There have been 53 COVID-related deaths reported in the county.

As of Monday, April 12, Valley County’s active count was three. There have been 866 recovered cases and 11 reported COVID-reported deaths.

Daniels County had zero active cases as of Monday, April 12. 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, April 12. There are 183 recovered cases. There has been one COVID-related death in the county.

For Richland County, there are two active cases and 1,196 recovered cases as of Friday, April 9. Total deaths are 16. There have been 1,214 total cases.

Statewide

According to Montana health officials, the state’s total number of known cases now stands at 106,426 since the start of the pandemic. There have been 1,244,568 tests conducted.

Around the state, there are 1,005 active cases. There are 51 active hospitalizations.

By Tuesday, April 13, a total of 1,526 deaths have been reported statewide. A total of 103,895 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, 4,145 total doses have been administered. There have been 1,959 fully immunizations.

As of Monday, April 12, 597,082 total doses have been administered in Montana. There are 250,643 fully immunized Montanans. The dashboard can be found at https://www.arcgis. com/apps/MapSeries/ index.html?appid=7c-34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b.