HAMILTON — COVID-19 vaccines are now available to all residents of Ravalli County, age 16 and older.
Local providers are continuing to receive primarily allocations of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine through the state vaccine program, with occasional small allocations of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, Ravalli County Public Health reports.
Ravalli County Public Health Director Tiffany Webber notes that some information has recently been circulating via email and social media relating to vaccine quantities and distribution from Ravalli County.
"This information contained some misleading statements and was not originated or released by Public Health, OEM, or any of our local partners," Webber said.
All Ravalli County providers registered in the state vaccine program have close to 3,000 first doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine available to be allocated as of March 31. Approximately two-thirds of this quantity has become available within the past ten days.
Webber says the doses are being allocated primarily to four vaccine providers with many local pharmacies now receiving the COVID-19 vaccine directly from the federal government.
"We anticipate offering a large vaccine event in the near future, and will release additional information on these efforts soon," Webber said.
The Montana COVID-19 state tracking map shows that 18,514 people have been vaccinated and that 7,020 residents are now fully immunized
Ravalli County residents who are 70 years or older and have not yet received a vaccine or an appointment are being asked to contact the health department at (406) 375-6672 to request an appointment.
Additional information about COVID-19 in Ravalli County can be found here.
People with questions about the vaccines -- or who need additional information -- can visit the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites.