Area Health Care Workers Scheduled To Receive Vaccine
The holidays are here, but in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, response efforts in Roosevelt County and on the Fort Peck Reservation continue. The arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine to the area is anticipated this week, just days before Christmas.
Roosevelt County Health Department (RCHD), Indian Health Services (IHS), Roosevelt Medical Center (RMC), and Northeast Montana Health Services (NEMHS) are the local entities enrolled as COVID-19 vaccine providers. They will be able to administer the first allocation of vaccines released from the federal government (Phase 1A) which are to be given to health care workers and longterm care facility residents and staff.
At the Dec. 17, epidemiology meeting of county, tribal, NEMHS and IHS agencies, representatives from RCHD and IHS shared their COVID-19 vaccination plans. If all goes as planned by the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, RCHD and NEMHS employees will receive their first doses of vaccine early this week. The vaccine will also be delivered to Roosevelt Medical Center. Plans to vaccinate IHS and Fort Peck Tribe’s health care workers aim at dates immediately after Jan. 1.
There are now two highly effective COVID vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Pfizer and Moderna). While Phase 1A focused on health care workers and longer term care facilities, Phase 1B of the vaccine rollout will be distributed to “essential workers.” These are groups such as law enforcement, fire fighters, corrections, transportation, grocery workers, etc. who are essential to the functioning of our society.
Vaccination clinics will be held county and reservation wide. Clinics will be highly advertised in the newspapers and agency Facebook pages.
The third group (Phase 1C) in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine are adults with high risk conditions and adults over the age of 65. The final group will be the general public over the age of 18. Exact timelines and persons included in each phase are not set in stone at this time, so please stay informed with us as we learn of any updates.
Situation report numbers for this week include: Dec. 14, six new cases and 43 active cases; Dec. 15, 15 new cases and 53 active cases; Dec. 16, 19 new cases and 42 active cases; Dec. 17, four new cases and 56 active cases; Dec. 18, 10 new cases and 64 active cases; Dec. 19, zero new cases and 60 active cases; Dec. 20, one new case and 47 active cases. There have been 51 total COVID-related deaths in Roosevelt County.
If you have questions about COVID-19 vaccine, please email: covid19taskforce@rooseveltcounty. org. For more information, visit the RCHD Facebook page or covid19. mt.gov.
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.
As of Sunday, Dec. 20, Roosevelt County had 47 current active cases of COVID-19. A total of 51 deaths have been reported. There are three newly recovered cases.
In McCone County, there are eight active cases. There have been 136 confirmed cases and 128 are listed as recovered.
As of Monday, Dec. 21, Valley County’s active count was 18, with 600 cases listed as recovered. Valley County reported eight deaths due to COVID-19 and/or complications.
Daniels County had two active cases as of Tuesday, Dec. 22. The county has 130 recovered cases and 137 cumulative cases. Five deaths have occurred due to COVID-19 and/or complications. There is one case currently hospitalized.
The Phillips County Health Department was reporting 19 active cases as of Monday, Dec. 14. Three hundred and sixty-nine cases are listed as recovered. There are five active hospitalization. There have been 12 deaths.
For Richland County, there are 40 active cases and 947 recovered cases as of Monday, Dec. 21. Total deaths are 11. There have been 998 total cases in the county. More than 100 contacts are being monitored.
Statewide
According to Montana health officials, a total of 758,979 tests have been conducted statewide since the start of the pandemic.
The state’s total number of known cases now stands at 77,324 since the start of the pandemic.
Around the state, there are 8,003 active cases. There’s been a total of 3,280 hospitalizations with 253 active hospitalizations.
By Monday, Dec. 21, 881 deaths have been reported statewide. A total of 68,440 people are listed as recovered. The governor’s directive requires face masking in any indoor space, open to the public, is mandatory for people ages 5 years and older. For children 2-4 years of age, face coverings are strongly encouraged. A drape may be used for babies. Restaurants, bars, breweries, distilleries and casinos are limited to 50 percent capacity and must close by 10 p.m. Public gatherings where social distancing isn’t possible or practiced will be limited to 25 people.
County sheriffs and other law enforcement across the state have said that the mask mandate is not enforceable and violations should not be called into 911.
Area Schools
Local health officials approved the Wolf Point School District to reopen four days a week (Plan A) starting Monday, Nov. 2. Classes began on that day for Wolf Point High School, Wolf Point Junior High School and Northside Elementary Schools. Classes resumed at Southside Elementary on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
On Wednesday, Dec. 16, the Frontier Elementary School started distance learning for all students through Jan. 4, 2021. School resumes on Jan. 5, 2021.
The Frazer School returned to in-class instruction Oct. 5. Students are offered the optout option.
Brockton School had students return to classes on Monday, Oct. 19. There are a few students listed as opt-out. Poplar High School students returned to classes on Monday, Nov. 2, with the option of staying remote. Students in middle school and elementary are still distance learning. The tentative plan is for middle school and elementary students to return to classes on Jan. 20.
Fort Peck Tribes
The Fort Peck Tribes moved to Phase 1 Tuesday, Sept. 29. Phase 1 puts non-essential employees and residents on the reservation under stay at home orders and limits gatherings to 10 people or fewer. All households are being asked to maintain 6 feet distance, wear masks and sanitize.
Roosevelt Medical Center
Roosevelt Medical Center posted the following information via social media Dec. 21: “In-person visitations are not being scheduled this week due to the Roosevelt County positivity rate of 17.3 percent. This rate must be below 10 percent for in-person visitations to occur. This information reflects data for Dec. 3-16 taken directly from data.cms. gov.”
COVID-19 & Mental Health
The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing response have brought many changes to our lives. Across the world, reports are coming in on how this pandemic affects mental health. These effects include increased stress, fear, anxiety and worry. The World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the State of Montana, among many others, have begun providing guidance and materials on how to cope with the mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. From healthcare workers to caregivers to children to individuals in isolation, COVID-19 is affecting everyone, including residents of Roosevelt County. Unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as increased tobacco or alcohol use, can put yourself and those around you at increased risk.
If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis, seek immediate help: Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255, the Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting “MT” to 741-741, Eastern Montana Mental Health Center Toll Free Crisis Phone Line: 800-597-6608, or call 911. If you or a loved one are experiencing a substance use issue, reach out to the following for help: SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 800-662-HELP (4357) and TTY 800-487-4889, Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center 653-1872.
For more information, visit the RCHD Facebook page or covid19.mt.gov or the CDC’s Coping with Stress page, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/ 2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/ managing-stress-anxiety. html.
