Tester Statement on Administration of First COVID-19 Vaccine Doses in Montana

U.S. Senator Jon Tester released the following statement as the first doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine make their way to health care workers across Montana:

“This is an extraordinary moment: Montana’s frontline health care workers are now getting the first round of COVID-19 vaccinations, a truly historic milestone in our fight to manage the spread of this virus and get our economy back on track. We owe a debt of gratitude to our health care workers and their families during this crisis that can never be repaid. I’ll keep holding folks across the federal government accountable to ensure this vaccine is distributed to all Montanans quickly and efficiently, so we can put this virus behind us once and for all, and get back to work.”

Senator Tester fought to secure more than $10 billion in funding for vaccine research, development, and distribution. Last week, Tester pressed officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a swift, equitable, and comprehensive distribution plan for veterans and VA staff. Tester, Montana’s only member of the Senate Commerce Committee, secured commitments from vaccine delivery strategists at UPS and FedEx to ensure timely and efficient vaccine shipments to Montana’s rural and frontier communities.