KATHERYN HOUGHTON
Kaiser Health News
MISSOULA â Montanaâs COVID-19 vaccine distribution is among the most efficient in the nation, but closer examination reveals a patchwork of systems among counties and tribal governments that will be put to the test as the state opens vaccine eligibility to all people 16 and older starting this month.
KHN, Montana Free Press and the University of Montana School of Journalism surveyed all 56 counties and eight tribal governments to find out how vaccine distribution has worked over the past four months and what residents might expect when the floodgates open.
Montanaâs rate of COVID-19 vaccines given is in the top tier in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 191,500 people â roughly 18% of the stateâs population â had been fully vaccinated by the end of March. But that progress papers over a disjointed rollout thatâs been left to individual public health
Over 40,700 vaccinated Covid-19 doses in Laos
Over 40,700 vaccinated Covid-19 doses in Laos
Last Updated: Fri, Mar 19th, 2021, 07:48:25hrs
Vientiane, March 19 (IANS) As of March 15, more than 40,700 people across the country of Laos have been given the first doses of Covid-19 vaccine, a media report said.
The vaccination prioritizes risk groups such as front line workers, medical workers, immigration officials and those working at border checkpoints, the Xinhua news reported.
The report quoted Deputy Director of the Department of Communicable Disease Control under the Lao Ministry of Health, Latsamy Vongkhamsao as saying to media on Thursday that vaccinating people against Covid-19 is a priority of the health sector.
Montana sticks to its patchwork COVID-19 vaccine rollout as eligibility expands msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Tribal Vaccine Clinics
Lacking a statewide vaccine distribution plan, Montanaâs overstretched counties and tribal governments have developed a mishmash of policies and plans that require ingenuity and mutual support to work. A joint reporting project by KHN, the Montana Free Press and the University of Montana School of Journalism finds the biggest test of that disparate system looms as vaccine eligibility expands. 1 of 4
A nurse administers the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine during a Confederated Salish and Kootenai vaccination clinic at the KwaTaqNuk Resort in Polson, Montana, on March 30, 2021. (Tailyr Irvine)
Tribal health nurse Malia Kipp helps Marlene Reaves through the vaccination questionnaire before her vaccine during a Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribal vaccination clinic at the KwaTaqNuk Resort in Polson, Montana, on March 30, 2021. (Tailyr Irvine)