HELENA — On Monday Gov. Greg Gianforte issued a directive that will help Montana pharmacies more efficiently provide COVID-19 vaccine doses.
The directive authorizes pharmacists to use any health care provider, who is licensed by Montana or another state and who is qualified to administer vaccines under his or her scope of practice, to assist in the administration of COVID-19 vaccines for the duration of the state of emergency.
“As we expand vaccine eligibility to all Montanans on April 1, we’re focused on reducing barriers Montanans face to get the vaccine and increasing access to it,” Gianforte said. “To that end, the directive I issued today will make it easier for pharmacies to efficiently administer doses to more Montanans.”
The directive also temporarily waives a restriction on the number of pharmacy technicians a registered pharmacist may supervise for the purpose of administering the COVID-19 vaccine and conducting associated administrative duties and procedures.
As of Tuesday, Mar. 30, Montana had administered 476,912 COVID-19 vaccine doses. 186,542 people in the state are considered fully vaccinated or roughly 17 percent of the state’s population.
People can find pharmacies that are offering COVID-19 vaccines here.