Governor Gianforte’s COVID-19 Taskforce: Montana COVID-19 Vaccine Tiers

Tier 1A Recipients

• Frontline healthcare workers

• Long term care and assisted living facilities

• Healthcare workers with direct patient contact or virus exposure

Tier 1B Recipients

• Persons aged 70 years and older

• American Indians and other people of color who may be at elevated risk for COVID-19 complications

• Persons aged 16-69 with any of the following high risk medical conditions:

  • Cancer

  • Chronic Kidney Disease

  • COPD

  • Down Syndrome

  • Heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies

  • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant

  • Severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)

  • Sickle cell disease

  • Type 1 & 2 diabetes mellitus

  • On a case by case basis, medical providers may include individuals with other conditions that place them at elevated risk.

Tier 1C Recipients:

• Frontline essential workers

• Persons aged 60 years and older

• Individuals residing in congregate care and correctional facilities

• Persons aged 15-69 with medical conditions not included in tier1b that may have an elevated risk of COVID-19 complications, including:

  • Asthma (moderate to severe)

  • Cerebrovascular disease

  • Cystic fibrosis

  • Hypertension or high blood pressure

  • Immunocompromised state from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or other immune weakening medicines

  • Neurologic conditions, such as dementia

  • Liver disease

  • Overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m2, but < 40 kg/m2)

  • Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)

  • Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)

Tier 2 Recipients:

• All remaining Montanans aged 16 years and older

Why do I need to make an appointment?

Vaccine availability is very limited at this time and we are unsure of how much vaccine we will receive each week.

Scheduling helps us plan ahead to have the right number of doses on hand, and it helps with a smoother delivery process for everyone involved at the vaccination site.

Please note that in order to be vaccinated, you will need to:

1. Be a member of the current tier (1A or 1B)

2. Schedule an appointment

3. Provide appropriate identification once you arrive at the vaccination site

Public Health is working closely with state and local partners to ensure vaccine is distributed efficiently. More information will be posted on this page in the coming weeks about Tier 1B vaccination.  Additional information for other tier groups will also be shared as it becomes available.

About the Vaccine

Safety is a top priority in delivering a COVID-19 vaccine. Once a company develops a vaccine, it must go through a rigorous scientific testing process before it can be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA independently reviews the information from these tests to make sure the vaccine is safe and works well, and then decides whether the vaccine can be licensed and made available to the public.

According to clinical trial data reviewed by the FDA, the most commonly reported side effects, which typically last several days, are pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, and fever. Of note, more people experienced these side effects after the second dose than after the first dose, so it is important for vaccination providers and recipients to expect that there may be some side effects after either dose, but even more so after the second dose.

Please see the vaccine safety sheets below for important information about vaccines currently approved for emergency use by the FDA. You will receive information about what vaccine you’ve received when you’re vaccinated so that you can schedule your second dose from the same manufacturer 3 to 4 weeks after your first dose. Vaccines are not interchangeable.

• FDA Vaccine Fact Sheet for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

• FDA Fact Sheet for Moderna Vaccine

After a vaccine is authorized for use, multiple safety monitoring systems are in place to watch for possible adverse events. If an unexpected serious adverse event is detected, experts work as quickly as possible to determine whether it is a true safety concern.

For additional information:

• FAQs About COVID-19 Vaccination (CDC)

• Understanding COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines (CDC)

• What is Emergency Use Authorization? (FDA)

Vaccine Records

You will receive a vaccination record that shows which vaccine you received and when so you are able to track which vaccine you need for your second dose and when you will need to receive the second dose.