Demand much higher than supply for Covid-19 vaccine
A physician is vaccinated in this handout photo from Kalispell Regional Medical Center.
Hungry Horse News
Demand for Covid-19 vaccination is far outweighing supply, the Flathead City County Health Department said on Wednesday.
“Currently, the number of people who want the vaccine in our county is far greater than the doses we are getting from federal supplies,” said Health Officer Joe Russell said. “Our staff is working diligently to schedule and administer vaccine, and we are asking the public for their continued patience. Distributing vaccine through the entirety of Tier 1b is going to take several months, but rest assured that if you have been added to the waitlist you will receive a call to schedule your COVID-19 vaccination.”
Tier 1b covers people over 70 and others with pre-existing health conditions.
To date, the county health department in partnership with Kalispell Regional Healthcare and North Valley Hospital have administered 7,358 total vaccine doses and 2,285 individuals are fully immunized.
According to the state, there’s more than 80,000 people eligible for the vaccine in the county.
Immunizations are running at abut 800 per week, though about 400 local veterans were vaccinated at a separate clinic on Wednesday at the fairgrounds. The number vaccinated could rise to 1,200 a week soon.
The vaccine is available on an appointment-only basis for individuals in Tier1b. This month, dependent on vaccine supply, clinics will be held weekly at the Flathead County Fairgrounds on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and at Grouse Mountain Lodge Conference Center in Whitefish on Thursdays. At this time, the number of appointments available is dependent on the amount of vaccine shipped to Flathead County each week. Vaccine availability continues to be very limited, and eligible individuals can choose one of the following options to be put on the list to receive the vaccine when supplies become available:
• Fill out our online vaccine request form at https://www.flatheadhealth.org/vaccine-request-form/.
• Call the COVID-19 Vaccine Line at 406-751-8119 and leave a voicemail with your name, date of birth, and phone number.
Appointments for both the Kalispell and Whitefish clinic locations will be scheduled through the county call center. The call center continues to experience extremely high call volume, to help the system run most effectively, individuals are encouraged to leave only one voicemail or one online submission. Calls for scheduling will be returned in the order in which they are received. Please note that it could take several weeks before a person receives a scheduling call.
There still is no word on whether any clinics will be held in Canyon communities, where many older folks don’t have transportation.