HELENA — As Montana expanded COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to everyone age 16 and up on Thursday, Governor Greg Gianforte got his own first dose of the vaccine.
He received his shot of the Pfizer vaccine at the Walgreens pharmacy in Helena. “I’m feeling great,” he said, and added that the pharmacy asked him to return in three weeks for his second dose.
Last month, Gianforte directed that all Montanans age 16 and older would be eligible for vaccines beginning April 1st. On Thursday, he said he was glad to get the vaccine as soon as it was available to him, and that vaccinations would be a key step to getting the state back to normal.
Gianforte thanked Walgreens and other providers for what they’ve done to get doses out to people. “We have other pharmacy partners; we’re increasing distribution,” he said. ”These vaccines are safe and effective, and I encourage folks to go out and get theirs.”
As of Thursday morning, there have been 497,982 vaccine doses administered in Montana, and 196,204 Montanans are now fully immunized.
The Cascade City-County Health Department in Great Falls announced Thursday that the scheduling portal for the COVID Vaccine Community Clinics will reopen. Appointments will be available on the following dates:
- Mon, Apr 5: 2pm - 6:10pm
- Tue, Apr 6: 8am - 4pm
- Wed, Apr 7: 2pm - 6:10pm
- Thu, Apr 8: 8am - 4pm
- Fri, Apr 9: 2pm - 6:10pm
- Mon, Apr 12: 2pm - 6:10pm
- Wed, Apr 14: 2pm - 6:10pm
- Fri, Apr 16: 2pm - 6:10pm
Everyone age 16+ is eligible for vaccination; those under age 18 will need a parent or legal guardian present at their appointment to give consent. If you would like to register, visit benefis.org/COVIDvaccine, then follow the prompts to make an appointment.
You can go to covidvaccine.mt.gov to find the vaccination plan and availability in your county. You can also visit VaccineFinder.org to find out what locations are providing the vaccine.
