Vaccines for older folks start a slow rollout

The Flathead City-County Health Department was set to begin vaccinating Tier 1b candidates this week, but as of presstime the department hadn’t indicated how many doses of vaccine it would have available.

Statewide, Department of Health and Human Service spokesman Jon Ebelt said 13,000 doses would be available this week and 20,000 next.

Tier 1b is defined as persons aged 70 or older, American Indians, or other people of color, and those with specific high-risk health conditions.

The vaccinations would be hosted at the Flathead County Fairgrounds. The Hungry Horse News reached out via email to see if clinics would be held in Canyon, but received no response.

The number of appointments available each week is dependent on vaccine allocation. Vaccine availability is very limited the department said, and it’s unsure of how much vaccine will be shipped each week. As such, appointment scheduling will be done on a week-by-week basis, and vaccines will not be immediately available to all individuals who qualify.

Individuals in Tier 1a and Tier 1b should call the COVID-19 vaccine line at 406-751-8119 to be put on the list to receive the vaccine. Tier 1a is frontline healthcare workers and assisted living center/nursing home workers and residents.

“Please note that the COVID-19 vaccine line is experiencing extremely high call volume and callers will be directed to leave a voicemail. Individuals are asked to leave a voicemail with their name, date of birth, and phone number, and the health department will return calls to schedule appointments based on weekly vaccine allotment. Calls for scheduling will be returned in the order in which they are received, and individuals should only leave one voicemail,” the department said in a release.

“We are excited to move into Tier 1b vaccinations and we have all hands on deck to distribute vaccine as efficiently as possible,” said Joe Russell, health officer of the Flathead City-County Health Department. “With that being said, our phone systems are being inundated with calls and we are unable to accommodate the current call volume. If you are calling us it is unlikely that you will reach a live person. We are taking names and contact information from voicemail, and we will contact you to schedule an appointment when vaccine becomes available. Please note that due to limited vaccine supply it could take several weeks before we are able to schedule you. To help our system run more effectively, please call once and leave only one voicemail. We ask the public for their continued patience with our staff as we work to schedule and vaccinate this large vulnerable population.”

Folks can also register online at: https://www.flatheadhealth.org/covid-19-vaccine/