The Fort Duchesne Uintah-Ouray Indian Health Services announced Wednesday that they received the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccinations at their clinic. “We will begin vaccinating Thursday and it will include 10 IHS frontline COVID response employees and 20 Ute Tribal employees that are providing care in the community,” shares their announcement. “There will be many more shipments coming and we will work quickly to offer the COVID-19 vaccination to the Tribal employees and community members by
following the CDC prioritization guidelines.” TriCounty Health Officer Jordan Mathis gave an update on COVID-19 vaccinations this week during the Give’m Health update on Eagle Country 105.5 FM. Mathis says that while Uintah and Duchesne Counties are still considered ‘High’ on the State Transmission Index, the good news is that the numbers have gone down from where they were before. Two companies have completed COVID-19 vaccines. Pfizer, the first vaccine approved by the FDA, is being distributed to hospital workers but only certain hospitals received the first shipment. Maderna is the other vaccine looking to get approval and Mathis says it is hopeful that it will be coming quickly to our area, likely sometime in the first part of January. The first phase of those able to get the vaccine would include hospital workers, then long term care facilities residents and workers, then private clinic health care providers and first responders and then it’s likely teachers will be given the opportunity. The vaccine is given by priority, explains Mathis, and the 2nd phase would include those 65 and older and those with vulnerable conditions. “We are trying to gather how many in these populations actually want the vaccine so we can communicate to them when and where vaccines will be available,” shares Mathis. “We’re very confident that we will have things in place so when the vaccine gets shipped to the Uintah Basin, they can move quickly to distribute it. Mathis says it’s been good news so far in that both vaccines have a high level of efficiency on creating an immune response and really high safety ratings. 
Photo Credit: Fort Duchesne Uintah-Ouray Indian Health Services
