Montana COVID Vaccine Allocation Set to Increase by 7,240 Doses Next Week, Tester Announces

State will get 34,050 total doses, following Tester push to increase allocations

The Montana Department of Public Health’s first dose COVID vaccine allotment is set to increase by 7,240 doses next week, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced today. The state will get an additional 2,340 Pfizer first doses (for a total of 17,550) and another 4,900 Johnson & Johnson shots (for a total of 6,100), as well as 10,400 Moderna first doses, bringing the total set to arrive next week to 34,050 first doses, up from 26,810 last week.

These doses are specifically allocated to the state and do not include doses allocated to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Services, or other federal programs delivered directly to Montana.

“Each week we’re getting more and more Montanans vaccinated, which is the key to putting this pandemic behind us and getting our economy back on track,” Tester said. “These increases in dose allocations are welcome news for the Treasure State, and I’ll continue working with this Administration to ramp up our supply so we can ensure every Montanan can access a vaccine as soon as possible, no matter who they are or where they live.”

Last month, Tester demanded that the Biden Administration distribute a fair share of vaccines to Montana after it was revealed that the state was receiving one of the lowest per capita allocations of coronavirus vaccines in the country, despite the state’s strong record of efficiently distributing shots. Following his efforts, Montana received a significant increase in COVID-19 vaccines.

Tester fought tirelessly to secure $20 billion as a part of the most recent COVID relief bill for vaccine production, procurement, and distribution that will help ensure every Montanan who wants a vaccine can receive one.

As Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Tester also secured $17 billion in the COVID-19 relief package for the Department of Veterans Affairs to vaccinate, support and protect veterans in Montana and across the country. Over the last month, he has announced vaccine distributions in multiple locations across Montana, with hundreds of vaccines expected to be administered to eligible veterans in other cities in the coming weeks.