Montana to Receive a Significant Increase in COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Next Week Following Tester Push

Senator pushed Biden Administration to escalate vaccine allocations to Montana after low per capita numbers last week

Following his efforts to bring more COVID-19 vaccines into Montana after the state received low per capita allocations, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced that following his efforts, next week Montana will receive an increase of 2,340 Pfizer vaccines over last week’s supply, totaling 23,270 first doses of the vaccine.

These doses are specifically allocated to the state and do not include doses allocated to the Department of Veterans Affairs or Indian Health Service for Montana locations.

“This is great news for folks in every corner of Montana-more vaccines means we’re that much closer to reopening our economy and getting folks back to work,” said Tester. “Our state has proven that we have the capacity to distribute more vaccines than we’re getting, so I’m proud to have worked with advocates on the ground and the Administration to increase this week’s allocations. I’ll keep holding folks in Washington accountable until we have enough vaccines to get shots in arms of every person in the Treasure State.”

Last week, 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 efficiency distributing shots.

Tester fought tirelessly to secure $11 billion as a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to support the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, including $156 million for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to accelerate research and development of treatment and vaccines, and to secure additional funding of $4.5 billion for vaccine distribution and administration in the December COVID relief package.

As the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, he also secured $19.6 billion to strengthen VA’s response to the outbreak and is working to include additional funding in the COVID-19 relief package to protect veterans and staff. 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.