MT COVID vaccines to increase
State will get 26,810 total doses, following push to increase allocations
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News from the office of Senator Tester
US. SENATE — The Montana Department of Public Health’s first dose COVID vaccine allotment is set to increase by 2,370 doses next week, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced today. The state will get an additional 1,170 Pfizer first doses (for a total of 15,210) and another 1,200 Johnson & Johnson shots, as well as 10,400 Moderna first doses, bringing the total to 26,810 first doses, up from 24,440 last week.
These doses are specifically allocated to the state and do not include doses allocated to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Services or other federal programs delivered directly to Montana.
“This increase in doses is welcome progress, and I’ll keep working with the Biden Administration and Montana officials to continue ramping up vaccination supplies,” Tester said. “I’ll keep fighting to get even more shots in arms – which is our very best shot at getting folks back to work, fully reopening our schools, and getting our businesses and families on the right track.”
Last month, Tester demanded that the Biden Administration distribute a fair share of vaccines to Montana after it was revealed that the state was receiving one of the lowest per capita allocations of coronavirus vaccines in the country, despite the state’s strong record of efficiently distributing shots. Following his efforts, Montana received a significant increase in COVID-19 vaccines.
Tester fought tirelessly to secure $20 billion as a part of the most recent COVID relief bill for vaccine production, procurement, and distribution that will help ensure every Montanan who wants a vaccine can receive one.
As Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Tester also secured $17 billion in the COVID-19 relief package for the Department of Veterans Affairs to vaccinate, support and protect veterans in Montana and across the country. Over the last month, he has announced vaccine distributions in multiple locations across Montana, with hundreds of vaccines expected to be administered to eligible veterans in other cities in the coming weeks.
