Montana Covid-19 Vaccination Plan Takeaways
Covid-19 Vaccination Plan Coordination Team met on November 24, 2020 for the first time. NAMI Montana is grateful to have a position on that team to help in the rollout of this critical effort. Here is a link to the current version of the State of Montana’s plan.
Here are some of the main takeaways that I had from yesterday’s meeting. Keep in mind that this is an everchanging situation and the plan will change accordingly.
- The federal government will pay for the vaccine and the costs to distribute it.
- Montana DPHHS does not know which specific vaccine(s) will be distributed throughout Montana, but they expect to get the first supply in late December.
- The vaccine will be in short-supply at the beginning of the distribution cycle. Because of this supply shortage, the vaccine will be distributed in a tier manner to Critical Populations first. This tiered delivery is expected to last over the next six months. After that, Montana DPHHS is hopeful the vaccine will be available to everyone.
Here is the current description of which Critical Populations will be served within the tiered plan (pages 10–11 of the Plan)
- Critical infrastructure workforce (includes Healthcare Personnel (HCP) (see https://www.cisa.gov/identifying-critical-infrastructure-during-covid-19) a. Healthcare personnel (i.e., paid and unpaid personnel working in healthcare settings, which may include vaccinators, pharmacy staff, ancillary staff, school nurses, and EMS personnel) b. Other essential workers (see additional guidance from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
- People at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness. a. LTCF residents (i.e., nursing home, assisted living, independent living facility residents) b. People with risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness (see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-withmedical-conditions.html) c. People 65 years of age and older
- People at increased risk of acquiring or transmitting Covid-19 a. People from racial and ethnic minority groups b. People from tribal communities c. People who are incarcerated/detained in correctional facilities d. People experiencing homelessness/living in shelters e. People attending colleges/universities f. People who work in educational settings (e.g., early learning centers, schools, and colleges/universities) g. People living and working in other congregate settings
- People with limited access to vaccination services a. People with limited access to routine vaccination services b. People living in rural communities c. People with disabilities d. People who are under- or uninsured.
NAMI Montana expects this plan, like every plan, to be up for debate and change; but it is a great start to this massive effort that will be critical to helping Montanans who are at severe risk from this devastating illness.
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