*Website updated Feb. 26, 2021 at 1:00 p.m.
If you are in Western SD and would like to register yourself on the COVID-19 Vaccine Waitlist please click the above button to fill out the form.
COVID-19 Vaccination Distribution
CURRENT 1D CRITERIA
- 65 years or older
- High Risk Patients – dialysis, post-transplant, and active cancer
- Starting 3/3/21 – Persons with one underlying medical condition
*If you are already on the waitlist and meet this updated criteria, you will be contacted by phone or email to update your information.
Click image to view full DOH infographic.
1A and 1C UPDATE
We continue to vaccinate those in the 1A and 1C category.
1B UPDATE
Individuals in the 1B category, long-term care facility residents, are receiving their vaccines directly from their pharmacy provider.
The DOH vaccination criteria will expand to other groups within 1D as vaccine becomes available. The speed in which we move from one phase to the next depends on a number of factors, including how many vaccine doses are shipped to South Dakota each week. More information can be found on the DOH website.
WYOMING RESIDENTS
Will be vaccinated per the Wyoming Department of Health plan. More information can be found here.
Our Mission at Monument Health is to assist the South Dakota Department of Health (DOH) in getting the COVID-19 vaccine to all those in our assigned region who wish to receive it. This is a large effort with many variables. We ask for your patience and understanding as we complete this task together. The DOH is allocating the COVID-19 vaccine supplies statewide.
Frequently Asked Questions
COVID-19 Vaccine
No. Monument is not charging for vaccinations.
The COVID-19 vaccine is safe to get 14 days AFTER or 14 days BEFORE any other vaccinations.
Patients who have had the monoclonal antibody infusion should wait 90 days from administration of the infusion before receiving the vaccine.
Once vaccinated, you will not test positive for COVID-19, because the vaccine does not contain the virus. However, if you develop a COVID-19 infection before your body creates sufficient antibodies, then you will test positive. The vaccine itself does not interfere with PCR or Rapid tests at Monument Health.
Yes. You are not protected until you develop antibodies to the coronavirus. The vaccine has been shown to be 95 percent effective two weeks after the second dose. So even if you have been vaccinated, there is still a 5 percent chance of infection. The good news is that if you are unlucky to be in that 5 percent, the disease will be mild. You should recover with minimal symptoms and no lasting damage. The vaccine is 100 percent protective in preventing severe COVID-19.
The best evidence we have points to at least 8 months. According to Pfizer-BioNtech, their vaccine provides immunity for up to two years. Moderna recently said its vaccine should offer immunity for at least a year. The research is ongoing.
Two independent advisory committees (ACIP and the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee [VRBPAC]) review vaccine safety data. ACIP also monitors post-market safety and effectiveness data for new vaccines. For COVID-19, ACIP has formed a separate Vaccine Safety Technical (VaST) Subgroup to provide timely evaluation of vaccine safety, both pre- and post-licensure. See more on COVID-19 Vaccine Safety.
Early data on the vaccines show mild and temporary side effects like headache, fatigue and mild fever, which are all common signs that show a vaccine is working to help you build immunity.
There is a recommended 30 minute observation period after each vaccination to be sure any potential adverse reactions are addressed.
The two initial vaccines projected for release are two-dose series vaccines and are not interchangeable. It’s important that you schedule your second dose while getting your first dose because your booster must be from the same manufacturer. The second dose must be given 21 days after the first shot for Pfizer and 28 days for Moderna.
There are no known contraindications to someone who has had the virus receiving the vaccine. We just ask from a prioritization perspective that those who may already have some immunity defer to a later date to receive their immunization. As supplies become available, everyone should get vaccinated.
We don’t have this answer yet, but expect that the answer will come with the emergency use authorization (EUA).
This vaccine was developed using mRNA and does not interact with DNA in any way – it is quickly broken down in the cell, never enters the nucleus and thus won’t cause long-term effects. See more on the CDC website.
Rumors of infertility have been shared on social media, but these are unfounded and not plausible. Here’s more on fertility.
A flu vaccine will not protect you from getting COVID-19, but it can prevent you from getting the flu at the same time as COVID-19. This can keep you from having a more severe illness. It’s possible that flu viruses and the COVID-19 virus will both be spreading during that time. That means that getting a flu vaccine will be more important than ever.
