County receiving about 300 doses of vaccine a week

As of Jan. 26, health workers in Lincoln County had administered 641 doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the state’s new online dashboard, launched to track the distribution of the vaccines, 582 county residents have received the first shot. Fifty-nine residents are considered fully immunized.

While that’s behind neighboring Flathead County, which distributed 5,314 doses by that date, Public Health Manager Jennifer McCully said the figures reflect the amount of vaccine local officials have received from the state. At present, Lincoln County can expect to receive 300 doses a week, she said.

The state, which receives a set amount as well, doles the doses out using an algorithm that is based on population, McCully said.

Given that, 641 doses administered is good considering local supply of vaccine, McCully said.

Since the vaccination effort began, county employees have cooperated with local health workers on distribution. Early on, it was not clear where doses would end up when they arrived in town. The medical center might receive one shipment, the county health department the next.

Now it seems likely that the health department will receive most of the shipments, McCully said about noon on Tuesday as she and her colleagues eagerly awaited a delivery truck with vaccines slated for the Eureka area. If a supply does end up at a different organization, like the medical center, staff there will coordinate with county officials, McCully said.

“We can be a little bit more widespread,” she said.

Officials are trying to spread vaccines out around the county depending on population. Of the vaccine supply received, about half is slated for the Libby area, with 30 percent headed to Eureka and 20 percent set aside for Troy.

Clinics like the one held last week in the Libby Memorial Events Center are planned for the county’s three population hubs and McCully has not ruled out hosting a similar effort in the Yaak.

There are two FDA-approved vaccines available, one produced by Moderna, the other developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. Both require cooling and thus present logistical hurdles.

But the Moderna version, which is what county officials have received, can be stored long term at minus 20 degrees Celsius — slightly colder than what the FDA recommends Americans keep their freezers.

After coming out of the freezer, the Moderna vaccine can be refrigerated up to 30 days, McCully said. After reaching room temperature — the vaccines take an hour or two to thaw — it must be used within 12 hours. That falls to six hours once a vial is opened, she said.

So far, though, storage has not emerged as a problem, McCully said. Given the limited supply, finding arms to jab has not been a struggle.

Officials are still encouraging residents interested in receiving the vaccine to contact the health department. Health workers are still making their way through the group designated 1b on the state’s distribution plan. That includes residents 70 years of age or older, those with high-risk medical conditions, and Native Americans and other persons of color.

Demand is high locally, said McCully, who reported that only a few people changed their minds about getting vaccinated. County employees are pulling a random sampling of individuals off of the 1b list with each shipment of vaccine, she said, urging patience.

“There are thousands people on the list, and they are very eager and very excited,” McCully said. “Hang tight; be patient.”