Montana State Closer to Distributing COVID-19 Vaccine to Students
While Montana State is gearing up to begin distributing the new COVID-19 vaccine to students, the first doses were administered to frontline health care workers on campus last week.
According to Jim Mitchell, associate vice president for student wellness, MSU had 44 initial doses which were handed out to most of its clinical workers at University Health Partners, and the campus student health clinic.
Students in clinical programs, who have contact with patients, are expected to receive the vaccine next week as authorized by the state’s Department of Public Health and Human Services.
This includes over 200 students in the College of Nursing, the WWAMI Regional Medical Education Program, the Regional Initiatives in Dental Education, and Gallatin College’s programs in phlebotomy and surgical and medical assistants.
Students returned to campus on Monday, but the timeline for their vaccination distribution and the quantities of doses available are still being finalized at the state and federal levels.
Here in Gallatin County, area hospitals and the Health Department have received doses of COVID-19 vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna. According to the Gallatin City-County Health Department's website, the first round of vaccines has already been given to most at-risk frontline healthcare workers.
State officials are still acquiring details from the federal government on subsequent rounds of vaccines in Montana and will provide additional plans as they are finalized.
On Tuesday, the Gallatin County Health Department posted their latest COVID-19 data. It shows the 7-Day Rolling Average of COVID cases at 78.9. That average has been trending upward since about Christmas. We currently have 13 people hospitalized with the coronavirus, and to date, 39 people have died with COVID-19 in Gallatin County.