It’s going to take time to administer a COVID-19 vaccine to those who want it in Jefferson County. Perhaps a long time.
The number of vaccine doses received here weekly are based on a population analysis by the Department of Public Health and Human Services — and that, in turn, is dependent upon how much Montana receives from the federal government, said Jefferson County Public Health Department Supervisor Pam Hanna.
Currently, the county is allotted 100 doses a week, with a portion of that going to administer the second required dose of the vaccine, she said, adding that the maximum allotment Jefferson County is eligible to receive is 158 doses a week. However, the vaccine comes in lots of 100 and they are not currently being divided, said Hanna.
The county is now in Phase 1B, which according to DPHHS, includes about 4,162 people. Of those are folks age 70 and over and those 18-69 with at least one high risk condition, said Hanna, adding that the Moderna vaccine is not given to individuals under the age of 18.
Hanna said the goal is to vaccinate at least 80% of that group, or 3,890 people.
“It’s going to take forever,” said Hanna of Phase 1B and the amount of vaccine received weekly compared to the number of people who are eligible to receive it — along with administering a second dose.
The 80% is the amount needed for “herd immunity,” said Hanna. Herd immunity is when enough members of a population become immune to a disease either by having had it, or through a vaccination. Herd immunity for all of those in Phase 1B is estimated at 3,890 individuals having been vaccinated, said Hanna.
In hopeful anticipation of being able to ramp up the number of vaccinations administered at one time, the Public Health Department is looking to do a large “point of distribution,” or POD, at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds at the end of February, said Jesse Hauer, public health emergency preparedness coordinator, at a Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting last week.
That event will include people in Phase 1B and is a way to get more vaccinations done at one time, said Hanna.
With the county looking to average a vaccination rate of 150 doses a week, with some being second doses, it will take several months just to do the 70 and over age range, which is estimated at 1,627 people, said Hanna.
“So you can see the challenges,” she said.
The county is currently scheduling those age 80 and older.
Elkhorn Pharmacy has joined the Health Department as state registered vaccinators, and doses were administered at the pharmacy’s Whitehall location, said Hanna.
The Whitehall Medical Clinic has also expressed interest in registering with the state as a vaccinator as a way to cut down on travel by the older population, she said.
In all, the county has eight people qualified to administer the vaccine, but there are efforts to increase that number, said Hanna.
Getting vaccines into the arms of Jefferson County residents also takes a good deal of logistics.
Each vaccine administered has to be entered into a state database within 24 hours as a way to keep track of progress, said Hanna.
There are strict storage and handling requirements too.
The vaccine, which comes in 10 dose vials, must be stored in the freezer. Once removed from the freezer and thawed, it must be used within 30 days. As soon as a vial is opened, it must be used within six hours — meaning all 10 doses must be administered within that time frame, said Hanna.
Sometimes, a person is deemed ineligible for a vaccine on a particular day due to the screening that takes place prior to it being administered.
For example, if someone has had another vaccine within the past 14 days, they cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine that day — necessitating a quick rescheduling to use that extra dose, said Hanna.
And sometimes, there is an 11th dose available.
“We’re not wasting it, that’s for sure,” said Hanna.
All of these requirements lead to very tight scheduling — and throughout all this, the department nurses are still conducting contact tracing and case investigation, as well as their other duties, said Hanna.
“There’s a lot of logistics to this,” she said.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 dashboard on the DPHHS website reported that 858 total doses had been administered in Jefferson County, as of Jan. 25. At the same time, the county’s Public Health dashboard lists a total of 172 first doses administered, as of Jan. 22.
The difference can be attributed to the fact that many of Jefferson County’s Phase 1A healthcare workers were vaccinated at their place of employment. St. Peter’s Health, Preview and other medical and dental clinics employ many of our residents, said Hanna.
“We are grateful for their generosity,” she said.
Positivity rate has decreased
Jefferson County’s COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped to 10.2% for the period of Dec. 31 – Jan. 13 — down for a high of nearly 30% in November, according to the federal Department of Health and Human Services positivity report.
That means that about 10% of those tested for COVID-19 are positive for the disease. In all, there were 895 tests administered within that time frame.
November was a tough month in the county for the disease, when it registered 317 new cases, and that was followed by eight deaths over a roughly seven week period.
How to sign up for a COVID vaccine
Jefferson County residents who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as part of Phase 1B can call 406-225-4004. Leave your name, age and telephone number. Messages are retrieved daily. Individuals will be contacted to schedule a appointment when vaccine is available at the Public Health Department in Boulder. Vaccines are offered at no cost to residents.
St. Peter’s Health is offering COVID-19 vaccines to patients who are actively receiving primary care services at St. Peter’s and who meet eligibility requirements. Visit www.sphealth.org for more information. At this time, the Public Health Department does not know when Phase 1C and Phase 2 will begin.
