MISSOULA — Missoula County will remain in Phase 1B for at least the next week before moving into Phase 1B+ in order to allow more residents in Phase 1B to provide the opportunity to get vaccinated.
The Missoula County COVID-19 Vaccine Coordination Team reports that as of March 1, 98% of Missoula County’s state-allocated vaccines have been administered.
Despite the county’s high administration rate, approximately 85% of county residents who qualify for Phase 1B have yet to receive their first dose of vaccine, according to a news release.
The Vaccine Coordination Team hopes to announce next week a firm date to move into Phase 1b+.
“We appreciate that the state guidance on Phase 1B+ still allows local officials to look at data for their communities and use that to inform their decisions,” said Office of Emergency Management Director Adriane Beck. "We know a lot of people are eager to get vaccinated, and we’re confident we’ll keep pace with the increasing supply coming into Missoula County and that we'll be able to get shots in the arms of everyone who wants a vaccine.”
All public clinics will be open to Missoula County residents in Phase 1B, and residents can find information on when appointments are available at covid19.missoula.co or by calling 406-258-INFO from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.
Depending on their patient base, individual providers and pharmacies may choose to move into the state’s Phase 1B+ sooner.
Additionally, following President Joe Biden’s directive this week, many local pharmacies will offer portions of their federally allocated vaccines to educators and childcare workers. Granite Pharmacy in partnership with Missoula County Public Schools and the Vaccine Coordination Team will hold mass vaccination clinics for about 1,000 MCPS educators.
Other local pharmacies are also opening appointments to educators, who can visit the Vaccine Information page for more information.
As of Monday, March 8, the following Missoula County residents will be eligible to sign up for vaccination:
- People 70 and older
- Native Americans ages 16-69
- People of color ages 16-69
- People ages 16-69 with one or more of the following health conditions: cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, Down syndrome, heart conditions, immunocompromised from organ transplant, severe obesity (BMI 40 or higher), sickle cell disease, and
- Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes
- Educators and childcare workers (at participating pharmacies only)