The first wave of a nationwide plan to control the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic has arrived in Sanders County.

Early last week, healthcare workers at Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains announced they have received the initial doses of vaccine, which has been shipped to hospitals throughout the United States.

The vaccine, which has been developed by pharmaceutical giant Moderna, is slated to be provided to Sanders County frontline healthcare workers beginning this week.

“Clark Fork Valley Hospital has received its first shipment of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Gregory Hanson, CEO of the Plains hospital. “Consistent with national guidelines, this first allocation will be used to vaccinate front-line healthcare workers and Long Term Care residents.”

The Moderna shipments, which are considered 90-95 percent effective against the virus, are targeted to many small town and rural facilities because they do not require strict refrigeration standards as is the case with a vaccine developed by Pfizer Pharmaceutical.

With the death toll from Covid-19 now more than 330,000 people across the country and more than 900 in Montana, the vaccine’s rollout is welcome news for healthcare workers and those over age 75.

However, the massive scale of the distribution and implementation of the drug is expected to require up to several months before it is available to the general public.

The Moderna version of the vaccine, as is the case with the Pfizer product, is a two-step process, requiring a follow-up dose three weeks after the initial injection.

“We are reaching out to healthcare providers outside of Clark Fork Valley Hospital to incorporate them in the prioritization process of the initial vaccines,” Hanson said. “At this time we have no vaccines for the general population of Sanders County, nor for individuals in other high risk categories”.

Healthcare experts worldwide generally agree that providing the vaccine to front-line workers is key to the fight against the pandemic.

Moderna and other drug producers have been working for months to develop a vaccine. The two products available now were only recently approved for emergency distribution and use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Hanson, in a written statement, said as of last week there is no timeline for the vaccine to be made available to the general population of Sanders County, but that CFVH is working diligently to make that happen as quickly as possible.

“Like many of you, we look forward to the time when the supply of the vaccine will allow us to expand it to use into the general population,” he said. “However, we have no information when that will be.

“When we do receive vaccine for wider distribution we will let the community know how to obtain it,” Hanson said. “At this point we are not maintaining a list of individuals requesting to have the vaccine.”

And, despite the beginning of vaccine distribution, Hanson urged area residents to continue to observe recommended precautions to help stop what has been a large spike in Covid cases.

“The distribution of the vaccine marks a pivotal point in the effort to control the pandemic, but we must remember the bedrock of our work remains handwashing, mask use, social distancing and staying home if ill,” he said. “As individuals we will still follow these recommendations even after receiving the vaccine.”

According to hospital statistics, Montana’s initial distribution is 4,950 doses of the vaccine, which is enough to inoculate 2,475 individuals based on a two-dose per person requirement.

More than one million doses of the Pfizer vaccine have already been distributed nationwide, with Moderna’s version of the vaccine expected to equal that amount by the end of this month.