If you want to be vaccinated against COVID-19, it’s becoming much easier to receive a shot. “The opportunities are opening up,” Park County Public Health Nurse Manager Bill Crampton said. For instance, as of Monday morning, a Wednesday clinic at the Cody Auditorium still had more than 300 openings among 600 available slots.

“Don’t worry about taking a dose away from someone else,” Crampton said, encouraging those who are eligible for the vaccine and want it to sign up.

“Now is not the time to slow down,” he said. “Due to the special handling needs of these vaccines, we will have these large amounts for only so long. Don’t wait until later to sign [up].”

Everyone who is 50 or older, people with certain medical conditions and “essential” workers are currently eligible — including those who work in the tourism, hospitality, restaurant, grocery, transportation, energy, utility, legal, communications, financial, government, education, real estate and agricultural industries. For instance, medical providers in Yellowstone National Park have been receiving Moderna and Pfizer vaccines from the county and are working their way through the park’s workforce, Crampton said.

“Park County is known for the tourism industry,” he added, “and we need those workers to be vaccinated as well as the state-recommended 50 and older.” 

A full list of those who are eligible and sign ups for local vaccination clinics are available online at www.parkcounty.us/CoronaVirus.html.

In total, public health officials and their partners had vaccinated more than 13,100 people as of Monday, with 5,300 people fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna products.

“Together we are making this happen by providing safe, effective vaccines to as many in the community as possible,” said Crampton, who has predicted that around 20,000 local residents will ultimately choose to be immunized.

Last week, Park County Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin shared a recent study of more than 48,000 people in the U.S. that found significantly fewer asymptomatic COVID-19 infections among those who had been vaccinated.

“This suggests that mRNA vaccines [which include the Moderna and Pfizer versions] may be more effective at reducing asymptomatic infections in and transmission from vaccinated people than originally thought,” Billin wrote. “This is the type of data that will help life get back to normal faster ...” 

The number of active COVID-19 infections in Park County has remained relatively low, with 13 known cases as of Monday.