KALISPELL — The Flathead County Health Department administered 160 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday to both Tier 1A and 1B individuals and expect to more than triple that amount as clinics move fully into Tier 1B on Thursday.
Flathead County Health Officer Joe Russell told MTN News that the vaccine distribution is starting to pick up, "600 doses on Thursdays, Tuesdays -- and filling in as much as we can to start getting all of our second dose of Moderna’s done."
Russell added that the health department is expecting to administer 1,200 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine during weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinics at the Flathead County Fairgrounds in Kalispell each Tuesday and Thursday going forward.
He says the clinics will be focused on individuals in Tier 1B, people aged 70 years of age or older, and those with underlying medical conditions. Russell says the easiest way to schedule a vaccine appointment is to call the health department and leave a detailed voicemail with your contact information.
He noted that department officials will return your call when it’s time to schedule an appointment, "we know that there’s a lot of work ahead of us so everyone needs to be patient, we’re rocking through this as well as we can,” Russell said.
Russell expects February to be a busy month for health care workers with first dose and second dose vaccine clinics overlapping. He also imagines the health department will move to four clinics a week sometime in February.
“We have a plan moving forward; we just hope that vaccine availability doesn’t disrupt that plan,” Russell said.
Russell added that he expects Tier 1B vaccine distribution in Flathead County to go on for the next several months.
Individuals in Tier 1B wanting the vaccine are asked to call (406) 751-8119 or fill out a COVID-19 Vaccine Request Form on the health department’s website to be put on the list.