Billings, MT – More than 1,300 appointments were available Monday for free, fast Yellowstone County Unified Health Command COVID-19 vaccination clinics this week at Cedar Hall at MetraPark. Vaccinations are open to any Yellowstone County resident age 16 and older.
The COVID-19 virus continues to circulate in Yellowstone County. Billings hospitals still have patients suffering from COVID-19 illness and county residents have tested positive for the virus over the past week. Nationally, case counts are rising, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Monday.
The benefits of getting vaccinated are substantial. Two weeks after getting the final vaccine dose in the two-dose series, the individual is fully immunized. That person has 95% protection against any COVID-19 infection and 100% protection against serious illness or death from COVID-19, according to clinical trials and the latest U.S. research. According to the CDC, fully vaccinated people:
· Can safely gather indoors without masks with other fully vaccinated people.
· Visit indoors without masks with unvaccinated members of the same household, such as children and grandchildren.
· Don’t need to quarantine if they are exposed to someone who is infected with COVID-19 virus.
If you haven’t yet been vaccinated, make an appointment for your first dose at Cedar Hall online at mtreadyclinic.org. People who don’t have easy internet access may schedule by phoning 406.651.6596.
Appointments are available Wednesday 3-7 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. -2 p.m. and 3-7 p.m., Friday 8-noon and 1-5 p.m. Generally, a person spends less than 30 minutes in Cedar Hall getting a vaccine.