RiverStone Health announced a new free, walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic Wednesday as the death toll from the virus rose in Yellowstone County.
The public-health agency announced the latest COVID victim, a woman in her 80s who died Monday in a Billings hospital. She was vaccinated and had underlying health problems.
RiverStone will offer free COVID-19 vaccinations from 2 till 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27, at the Billings Public Library Community Room. This walk-in clinic previously was listed for a different time.
Yellowstone County now has 401 COVID-related deaths.
On Tuesday, Billings Clinic and St. Vincent Healthcare were caring for 43 COVID-19 patients in ICU; 34 were on ventilators. Altogether, the hospitals had 139 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including 107 who weren’t vaccinated.
RiverStone Health is offering first and second doses of Pfizer vaccine to people age 12 and older. First and second doses of Moderna and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are available to people 18 and older. Third doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are available to immune-compromised people.
RiverStone Health also offers booster shots of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Another free, walk-in clinic for boosters, first and second doses will be held:
· Nov. 4, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., RiverStone Health, 123 S. 27th St., in the four-story building.
A limited number of vaccination appointments are available from the RiverStone Health Immunization Clinic, phone 406.247.3382. More vaccination information is posted at covid.riverstonehealth.org.
Drive-through testing
RiverStone Health and St. Vincent Healthcare offer free drive-through COVID-19 tests from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays at St. Vincent Healthcare parking lot M, at North 28th Street and 11th Avenue North. The test site is closed from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. daily. Tests are available to people age five and older who have symptoms of COVID-19 or had close contact with a person who tested positive. St. Vincent Healthcare will provide lab results to those tested within 48 hours.
Please be aware that this outdoor test site may close during inclement weather.