Gianforte Announces New COVID Vaccination Phase

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has announced that the state is moving to phase 1B+ for COVID vaccinations. Gianforte said during a press conference Tuesday, March 1, that Montana would start the new phase on Monday, March 8.

Phase 1B+ includes residents 60 years or older along with individuals ages 16-59 with qualifying medical conditions.

“With this expansion, we are prioritizing the population groups that account for nearly 90 percent of Montana’s total deaths and more than 70 percent of Montana’s hospitalizations during this pandemic. Through this thoughtful, data-driven, commonsense approach, we will continue to minimize hospitalizations and deaths from this virus,” Gianforte said.

Data collected by the Department of Public Health and Human Services showed that Montanans 60 years of age and older account for 89 percent of deaths and 72 percent of hospitalizations from COVID-19. Phase 1B, which Montana entered into on January 19, made vaccines available to populations that accounted for approximately 75 percent of deaths and 50 percent of hospitalizations from COVID-19.

Gianforte also announced that Montana will receive 8,700 doses of the single- dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Counties are scheduled to begin distributing the vaccine this week.

The governor said the state’s approach of targeting the most vulnerable citizens for the vaccines was a model for the rest of the nation.

“Montana was one the cutting edge with this approach,” Gianforte said. He added the federal government followed suit a week later.

Gianforte said every shot given means a reduction in hospitalizations or deaths.

He noted the Johnson and Johnson vaccine means easier distribution because it doesn’t need the extreme refrigeration that other vaccines require. “We continue to provide for our fellow Montanans,” Gianforte said. “Montanans have been remarkably patient as we wait for more supply.”

Gianforte encouraged all Montanans to get a safe and effective vaccine.

Area Statistics

According to the state website, Roosevelt County has 15 active cases and 1,508 total recovered cases. There have been 52 COVID-related deaths reported in the county.

As of Monday, March 8, Valley County’s active count was 15. There have been 808 recovered cases and 11 reported COVID-reported deaths.

Daniels County had one active case as of Tuesday, March 9. The county has 189 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 8. There are 178 recovered cases. There has been one COVID-related death in the county.

The Phillips County Health Department was reporting four active cases as of Monday, March 1. Four hundred and eighty-three cases are listed as recovered. There are three active hospitalizations and 15 reported COVID-related deaths. For Richland County, there are seven active cases and 1,180 recovered cases as of Monday, March 8. Total deaths are 16. There have been 1,203 total cases.

Statewide

According to Montana health officials, the state’s total number of known cases now stands at 100,959 since the start of the pandemic. There have been 1,106,632 tests conducted.

Around the state, there are 1,601 active cases. There are 63 active hospitalizations.

By Tuesday, March 9, a total of 1,381 deaths have been reported statewide. A total of 97,977 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.

On Monday, Feb. 22, President Biden commemorated the country’s 500,000 COVID-related death with a ceremony.

Flu Shots

Area health officials are stressing that flu shots are more important this year than ever because the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to keep the community safe, health officials offer advice and information on these two infections are related.

COVID-19 and the flu are each highly contagious respiratory infections, but have some key differences. They are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is more infectious, and there is a vaccine to prevent the flu. There are some symptom similarities between the two, which may make it difficult to determine which illness you have if you are experiencing symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, vomiting and diarrhea. Flu can be a more mild illness than COVID-19, and COVID-19 symptoms also can include loss of taste or smell. It may be necessary to receive testing to determine which illness you are experiencing.

To get a flu shot, make an appointment with the Roosevelt County Health Department or make an appointment with your primary care provider.

Flu shots are available at the following locations: Roosevelt County Health Department, Chief Redstone IHS Clinic in Wolf Point, Verne E. Gibbs IHS Clinic in Poplar, Listerud Rural Health Clinic in Wolf Point, Riverside Clinic in Poplar and Roosevelt Medical Clinic in Culbertson.

Vaccines are covered by health insurance, Medicaid and Medicare. If you don’t have health insurance, call the health department for assistance at 653-6223.

Fort Peck Tribes

Fort Peck Tribes are now in a modified phase 2 reopening. Effective Jan. 15, all tribal employees returned to work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tribal casinos have reopened from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. at 50 percent capacity.

No gathering of 30 or more people is allowed. Curfew is 12:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.

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, 2,547 total doses have been administered. There have been 880 fully immunizations.

As of Monday, March 8, 308,745 total doses have been administered in Montana. There are 115,390 fully immunized Montanans. The map features such information as total doses administered, number of first doses administered, number of people fully immunized, doses administered per 1,000 people and eligible population to be vaccinated.

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