BUTTE — The Butte-Silver Bow Health Department announced two additional deaths due to COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of COVID-related deaths in the county to 80.
According to a Health Department news release, the deaths in Butte-Silver Bow equate to 223 fatalities per 100,000 population, the highest per capita ranking among the most populous counties in Montana.
“COVID-19 has hit our elderly population hard, so it means all the more to our Unified Health Command that we are vaccinating people as quickly as possible,” Health Officer Karen Sullivan said.
Sullivan also confirmed in the release that Butte's Unified Health Command received a "substantial" shipment of the Moderna vaccine, which will allow a vaccination clinic planned for Wednesday, Feb. 24 to go forward.
The clinic will offer vaccinations to those ages 70 and older and those 65 and older with certain underlying health conditions. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m at the Butte Civic Center.
The Health Department provided the following information in the release:
Wednesday’s clinic, for those ages 70 and older, is also focused on those ages 65 to 69 with certain underlying health conditions, including cancer; chronic kidney disease; COPD; Down syndrome; heart conditions, including heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies; an immunocompromised state from solid organ transplant; severe obesity; sickle cell disease; Type 1 and 2 diabetes; and other conditions that may place an individual at elevated risk for COVID-19 complications.
Reservations for vaccines, now and in the future, may be made online at tickets.butteciviccenter.com; those registering this way will have access to limited vaccination times. Other allotted reservation times may be reserved by calling the Civic Center Box Office at 406-497-6401 or by walking up to the Box Office window at the following times: Mondays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Tuesdays 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Reservations may also continue to be made by calling the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department’s COVID Call Center at 406-497-5008. Individuals are asked to note that when registering online, in person, or over the phone, date of birth must match the eligible age for that’s week’s vaccine. Otherwise, the registration will be deleted and not available. Those arriving at the Civic Center will be required to show identification showing date of birth.
There will also be a clinic for administration of second doses of the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday at the Civic Center. Individuals attending this clinic are asked to come to the Civic Center at the same time they received their first vaccine.
As of Monday, the Unified Health Command had administered a total of 9,204 doses of vaccine in Butte-Silver Bow, with 5,926 individuals receiving their first vaccine and another 3,278 being fully immunized.