By: Jeanelle Slade
and last updated 2021-01-07 14:29:19-05
BILLINGS â Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton announced Thursday that he has rescinded the county health orders as COVID-19 cases decline in the county.
Felton said the county will remain under the statewide health orders implemented by former Gov. Steve Bullock until new orders are issued by Gov. Greg Gianforte, who took office on Monday.
While the county health orders have been lifted, Felton said the county will not be able to comply with the recent changes in vaccine priority announced by Gov. Gianforte.
Earlier this week, Gov. Gianforte announced all state residents between the ages of 16 and 69 with underlying health conditions, and those over 70 can be vaccinated.
Editor s Note
This story was compiled almost completely from the reporting of Lee Montana newspapersâ staff over the past nine months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It started the way most Montana storms do, signs of trouble coming on the west wind.
On Leap Day, Saturday, Feb. 29, Washington state reported the countryâs first COVID-19 death, the first healthcare worker infected, and the first known outbreak in a care facility.
By early March, a few Montanans began to worry. Many others paid scant attention to the gathering storm.
Indeed, some battle lines were already being drawn.
Four Western Montana Republican legislators attended the Conservative Political Action Conference meeting in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., where a New Jersey doctor who had paid big money to attend VIP events, snapping selfies with big-name attendees including Ted Cruz, tested positive for the virus.
U S Surgeon General Praises Montana s Progress With COVID-19, Health Officers Caution Vigilance Still Needed ypradio.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ypradio.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
During a press conference at RiverStone Health on Thursday, Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton extended the latest health officer order through Jan. 31, 2021.
The extension comes as Billings Clinic and St. Vincent Healthcare expect a first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to arrive next week. The hospitals are expecting fewer than 2,000 doses. It s likely that all of those doses go towards vaccinating healthcare workers who are in direct contact with people who have COVID-19, according to Felton.Â
Senior care facilities in the county, which are a high-priority group for vaccinations, will be receiving vaccines from a separate supply line, according to Felton.