COVID-19 vaccine coming to Flathead Indian Reservation

Officials at the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Health Department expect to receive initial deliveries of a COVID-19 vaccine this week.

The department announced Monday in a post on its Facebook page that 100 doses of the Moderna vaccine were expected to arrive at the St. Ignatius Health Center on Tuesday or Wednesday.

“According to the state plan, frontline health care and elder care workers are to receive the vaccinations first,” the post states. “At this moment, COVID-19 vaccines are not being offered to the general public. However, Tribal Health continues to work closely with the state, and we will keep you updated when the vaccine is readily available to broader groups.”

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services received 9,750 doses of Pfizer’s vaccine Monday. Those doses will be distributed to medical facilities in the state for their frontline personnel.

The state is expecting 20,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine initially, and Tribal Health should receive some of those.

On Monday, St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings was the first health care facility to receive the Pfizer vaccine. The following day, Providence St. Patrick Hospital and Community Medical Center in Missoula received their first shipments.

Both versions of the vaccine require refrigerated storage, and Tribal Health officials have access to such storage at Salish Kootenai College.

Health care workers and nursing home residents will be first in line for initial doses, followed by essential workers, teachers and first responders.

After that, the next priority will be those with pre-existing conditions and the elderly.

The general adult population may not have access to either vaccine until next summer.