Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chair Shelly Fyant poses for a portrait on Jan. 2, 2021, in Polson, Mont.Photo: Tailyr Irvine for The InterceptConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chair Shelly Fyant poses for a portrait on Jan. 2, 2021, in Polson, Mont.Photo: Tailyr Irvine for The Intercept
Montana Tribes Hard-Hit by Covid-19 Brace for Republican Takeover
Native Americans in Montana are dying from Covid-19 at a rate 11 times higher than white residents.
January 9 2021, 2:41 p.m.
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chair Shelly Fyant poses for a portrait on Jan. 2, 2021, in Polson, Mont.Photo: Tailyr Irvine for The InterceptConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chair Shelly Fyant poses for a portrait on Jan. 2, 2021, in Polson, Mont.Photo: Tailyr Irvine for The Intercept
On Thursday, frontline health care workers on the Fort Belknap Reservation were the first of Montanaâs tribal nations to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
By Thursday afternoon, Fort Belknap had administered about 200 doses to health care workers. The tribes will be vaccinating essential Indian Health Service and tribal employees, dialysis patients and elders.
âIt brought me to tears,â said Angela Troutt, the Billings area Indian Health Service COVID-19 task force lead. âI had chills, it was just so amazing.â
The Assiniboine and Gros Ventre Tribes received 975 doses, with about 400 of those doses being redistributed to other parts of the state and to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, Troutt said.Â