Lewis and Clark County: COVID-19

Lewis and Clark Public Health (LCPH) activated its emergency response team in 2020 and is working daily to respond to COVID-19 in Lewis and Clark County (Incident Action Plan). We are working closely with local health-care providers to detect and investigate cases of the disease.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that originated in China in late 2019 and has since spread throughout the world. The disease can have mild to severe symptoms, including fever, cough, and trouble breathing. It can also be fatal, especially among people age 65 and older and people with serious, existing health problems, like heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease.

Regarding vaccination information, please note, if you have or will receive another vaccine within a 14 day interval of the COVID vaccine, you should consult with your provider or local health department before being vaccinated.

We have established the Lewis and Clark County COVID-19 Hotline at toll free 833-VAXXC19 (833-829-9219). In addition to helping with appointments, our staff can provide information on second dose clinics, update appointment information and provide guidance on some frequently asked questions with regard to COVID-19. The hotline is open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

SINGLE DOSE J&J CLINIC on APRIL 12 from 12PM-6PM

A Johnson & Johnson drive-thru clinic will take place this Monday, April 12 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. This clinic is in addition to our Pfizer clinics that are currently available.

Appointments for the Johnson & Johnson clinic are now open.

Pre-registration, proof of age, and residency in Lewis and Clark County are required to be eligible for these clinics.

When and where:

We anticipate vaccinating approximately 700 individuals at this Johnson & Johnson clinic. This clinic is only open to those age 18 and older. Pfizer clinics are open to those aged 16+ years.

All LCPH (Lewis and Clark Public Health) drive-thru clinics are held at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds.

To better serve the community and efficiently distribute vaccine, individuals must secure a free appointment to one of the events and provide a photo ID showing their date of birth and an address in Lewis and Clark County. If the photo ID provided does not have an address, such as a US Passport, individuals can present a utility bill, phone bill, or another document with a Lewis and Clark County address.

Individuals that cannot supply proof of age and residency will forfeit their appointment time and be turned away.

To get an appointment:

The registration site for the clinics is hosted on Waitwhile. Links to secure an appointment are available anytime on our COVID-19 HUB at https://www.helenamontanamaps.org/LCPHCovid19HUB/ or on Lewis and Clark Public Health’s website at https://www.lccountymt.gov/health.html. Look for the ‘COVID-19 HUB’ link on the main page. A ‘how to’ video is available on our COVID-19 HUB. No account or phone app is required to use the appointment system.

When will appointment times be available?

Appointments for all clinics are currently available.

What if demand is high for appointments?

Due to the nature of the appointment system, and the extreme demand, not all individuals will be able to get an appointment to this clinic. When demand is high, the system may show a ‘Location Busy’ or other error when you press the ‘Confirm’ button at the bottom of the appointment information screen. If you see an error, you are advised to cancel your attempt and try again, as it is highly unlikely you will receive an appointment by continually clicking the ‘Confirm’ button.

NOTE: If you click the ‘Confirm’ button but are NOT taken to the ‘Booking confirmed’ screen and receive no text messages or email confirmation after 30 minutes – you have not secured an appointment and you should try again.

It may take some time (up to 30 minutes) for you to receive a text and/or email. Please be patient as the system catches up with appointments.

Appointment details:

There is a limit of one person per order.
Individuals can reserve an appointment time based on availability of time slots.
To make an appointment, you will be required to type your full name, email address, cell phone (or home phone number), home address, and date of birth.

Verification required at Fairgrounds during your vaccination:

You must provide a photo ID for proof of age showing an address in Lewis and Clark county at the Fairgrounds. If your photo ID provided does not have an address, such as a US Passport, you can present a utility bill, phone bill, or another document with a Lewis and Clark County address. Those who do not bring these items will be turned away.

For those who require assistance:

Those who have access barriers to the online system and need assistance can call our new Lewis and Clark County COVID-19 Hotline at 833-VAXXC19. This is a toll-free call. Depending on call volume, those that call may be placed on a list and will receive a call back later with a time and date. If all lines are busy, callers will be directed to a voicemail to leave their name and phone number for a return call later. All dates/times may not be available through this call center.

For updates, please follow us on Twitter @LewisClarkPH or visit our website at https://www.lccountymt.gov/health.html.

FIRST DOSE CLINIC INFORMATION FOR ALL LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY RESIDENTS AGE 16+

Given recent changes from the Governor regarding distribution of vaccine, appointments for our next six weeks’ worth of clinics will be available this Friday for all Lewis and Clark County residents aged 16+.

Pre-registration, proof of age, and residency in Lewis and Clark County are required to be eligible for these clinics.

Individuals age 16 and 17 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to be vaccinated at Pfizer clinics.

When and where:

Six weeks of Pfizer clinics will be released this Friday at 9 a.m. In addition, we will hold a Moderna vaccination clinic on April 5 - these appointments will be released on Friday as well.

We anticipate providing FIRST DOSE vaccine to approximately 700 individuals at the Moderna clinic and 750 individuals at each of the Pfizer clinics next week for a total of 2200 vaccinations. Pfizer clinics are only open to those aged 16+ years. Please note, Moderna clinics are only open to those aged 18+ only.

All first dose clinics are held at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds.

Individuals that cannot supply proof of age and residency will forfeit their appointment time and be turned away.

To get an appointment:

The registration site for the clinics is hosted on Waitwhile. Links to secure an appointment at any of the clinics go live beginning at 9:00 a.m. Friday, April 2nd on our COVID-19 HUB at www.helenamontanamaps.org/LCPHCovid19HUB/ or on Lewis and Clark Public Health’s website at www.lccountymt.gov/health.html. Look for the ‘COVID-19 HUB’ link on the main page. A ‘how to’ video is available on our COVID-19 HUB. No account or phone app is required to use the appointment system.

When will appointment times be available?

At 9:00 a.m., this Friday, April 2nd, appointment times for the next six weeks automatically be available through the registration links.

What if demand is high for appointments?

Due to the nature of the appointment system, and the extreme demand, not all individuals will be able to get an appointment. When demand is high, the system may show a ‘Location Busy’ or other error when you press the ‘Confirm’ button at the bottom of the appointment information screen. If you see an error, you are advised to cancel your attempt and try again, as it is highly unlikely you will receive an appointment by continually clicking the ‘Confirm’ button.

It may take some time (up to 30 minutes) for you to receive a text and/or email. Please be patient as the system catches up with appointments.

Appointment details:

• There is a limit of one person per order.

• Individuals can reserve an appointment time based on availability of time slots.

• To make an appointment, you will be required to type your full name, email address, cell phone (or home phone number), home address, and date of birth.

Verification required at Fairgrounds during your vaccination:

For those who require assistance:

Those who have access barriers to the online system and need assistance can call our new Lewis and Clark County COVID-19 Hotline at 833-VAXXC19 beginning at 9 a.m. Friday. This is a toll-free call. Appointments for any clinic next week will NOT BE AVAILABLE until then. Depending on call volume, those that call may be placed on a list and will receive a call back later with a time and date. If all lines are busy, callers will be directed to a voicemail to leave their name and phone number for a return call later. All dates/times may not be available through this call center.

For updates, please follow us on Twitter @LewisClarkPH or visit our website at www.lccountymt.gov/health.html.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - GENERAL PUBLIC VACCINATIONS

We continue to get questions from community members regarding the eligibility of all county residents to get vaccinated after April 1.

Q: When will the clinics begin that will include all Lewis and Clark County residents aged 16+?

A: The first clinics open to the general public aged 16+ will take place April 6 and 7th at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds.

Q: Will appointments for all clinics still be required?

A: Yes, due to vaccine supply limitations, appointments will be required to attend any clinics.

Q: Where will the appointments be available?

A: We will continue to post the signup links on our COVID-19 Hub.

Individuals without an appointment will be turned away.

Q: Are residents from other counties able to be vaccinated at these clinics?

A: No. These clinics are limited to Lewis and Clark County, MT residents ONLY.

Q: When will appointments become available?

A: To avoid confusion surrounding our final Phase 1B+ clinics on March 30 and 31, we plan to have appointments available for the general public on April 2 at 9 a.m. on our HUB.

Q: Will you continue to release one or two weeks of appointments at a time?

A: We anticipate releasing approximately six weeks’ worth of appointments on April 2. Given our weekly allocation of supply to the Fairground clinics of 900 a week, there will be approximately 5,400 appointments available at that time. A small number of these will be held back for our call center only. Additional weeks of appointments will be added on a rolling basis, depending on supply.

Q: If you get an increase in supply, would you make those available through the registration system?

A: Yes, we would either increase the appointments available per day or add additional clinic days, as needed.

Q: Are you expecting an increase in vaccine supply in April? What about more Johnson and Johnson vaccine?

A: At this time, we have not seen any indication there will be an increase in vaccine coming to Lewis and Clark County. Johnson and Johnson vaccine is not expected for at least the next three weeks.