HELENA — Public health leaders estimate about 22,400 adults in Lewis and Clark County became eligible for COVID-19 vaccines this week. On Friday morning, they opened registration for vaccine clinics that will be able to serve more than a quarter of that population.
Lewis and Clark Public Health opened six weeks of appointments for drive-in clinics at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds in Helena. Those clinics will provide a total of 6,000 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 700 first doses of the Moderna vaccine.
The state directed that, as of April 1, all Montanans 16 and older were eligible to receive the vaccine.
Because of the high demand when registration opened at 9 a.m., some people using the online reservation tool got messages saying “Location is too busy,” and had to try several times to confirm an appointment. However, by Friday afternoon, there were still dozens of available appointments for next week.
LCPH leaders say their call center did experience high volume Friday morning, but they were able to handle it. They encouraged everyone interested in getting a shot to sign up – saying appointments aren’t running out any time soon.
You can find links to the registration for these clinics on the county’s online COVID-19 hub.
The events at the Fairgrounds aren’t the only options for people wanting to get vaccinated. Many pharmacies and other providers are also able to deliver shots. You can go to vaccinefinder.org to see what participating providers are in your area.
LCPH estimates there are about 56,200 eligible adults in Lewis and Clark County, and that more than a third of them have already had at least one dose of the vaccine. More than a quarter of them are fully vaccinated.
