GREAT FALLS — The City-County Health Department in Great Falls on Tuesday afternoon announced three more COVID-19 deaths in Cascade County since November 7th. There have now been 45 deaths in Cascade County due to COVID.
The CCHD says the three people were a woman in her 50s, a woman in her 80s, and a man in his 80s, and added, "We are deeply sorry for the families and friends of these individuals, and hope that Cascade County residents can join together to lend them compassion and support."
Earlier today, Great Falls Public Schools announced that schools will be closing this Friday and utilize remote learning until at least November 30th - click here for details.
The CCHD said in a news release it supports this decision, noting that they appreciate the measures people are taking to slow the advance of COVID-19 transmission. The CCHD also said it is clear that the impact of school closures will be felt widely - by working parents, childcare providers, employers, organizations providing assistance to families in need - and they ask that all Cascade County residents "come together over these two weeks to support the difficult but necessary decision our schools have made."
The CCHD said in a news release:
If we all take this time seriously, and do everything in our power to keep COVID-19 at a distance despite the changes in our everyday routines that these closures will undoubtedly cause, then we will all be in a better place when schools resume in-person learning on November 30th. The next couple weeks could make a critical difference in creating a safe learning environment for our kids, and in keeping businesses running smoothly.
It is to the benefit of every community member that businesses and individuals continue to take prevention seriously and do everything they can to curb the spread of this virus. Known prevention measures include:
- Staying home when you are sick and getting tested if symptoms are consistent with COVID-19
- Limiting interactions with others and thinking critically about the necessity of engaging in certain events/outings/gatherings
- Social distancing wherever possible
- Universal masking and proper mask wearing
- Good sanitation practices and hand washing
- Isolating if you are positive, and notifying everyone you were in contact with for 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms or 48 hours prior to test date
- Quarantining if you have had close contact with a positive case, and continuing to quarantine for 2 weeks from the time you were exposed
As of Tuesday, the state COVID website reports that Cascade County currently has 1,911 active cases, and 925 recovered people.
There were 1,101 new cases and 5 new deaths added to the total on the Montana COVID-19 tracking site on Tuesday morning; the data below is from the official Montana website on November 10:
- HOSPITALIZATIONS: There are 487 current hospitalizations, and a cumulative total of 1,510 hospitalizations.
- DEATHS: The cumulative number of deaths in Montana is now 462.
- ACTIVE CASES: There are 16,816 active COVID-19 cases in Montana.
- CASES & RECOVERIES: There have been 41,151 cumulative cases, with 23,873 people listed as recovered.
- TESTING: There were 3,653 completed tests, for a cumulative state-wide total of 544,566.
Among the most recent deaths are individuals in Hill County, Blaine County, Roosevelt County, and Meagher County.
Numbers reported by the state each day occasionally differ from those reported by county public health departments due to periodic lag times in reporting data to the state. We encourage people to check the official website and/or Facebook page of their respective county health department for any information that is not yet included in the state's daily updates. Based on state and county data, MTN News reports the following:
- TOTAL CASES: 41,564 (+413 from state)
- ACTIVE CASES: 14,953 (-1863 from state)
- DEATHS 487 (+25 from state)
- RECOVERIES: 26,124 (+2251 from state)
LINKS + LATEST NEWS:
- Age, gender, county of all new cases
- 7 new deaths reported in Cascade County
- Healthcare works struggle to keep up with COVID
- Stay-at-home order extended on Blackfeet Reservation
- Cascade County tightens COVID-19 restrictions
- Group challenges Montana's COVID mandates
- What constitutes a COVID recovery?
- Privacy laws and HIPAA: Click here for details
CONTEXT: Not every person who tests positive actually becomes ill or exhibits symptoms. Many do not; of those who do become sick, some experience mild symptoms and do not require hospitalization. Others, however, do require hospitalization, as noted in the daily update on the number of people hospitalized. However, every person who tests positive for COVID-19 has the potential to spread the virus to other people, including family members and friends, which is why public health officials continue to encourage everyone to wear a mask and maintain at least the recommended six feet of "social distance" when in public.
The federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) released data in late August which emphasizes that people with contributing or chronic medical conditions are at much greater risk of dying from COVID-19. Click here to read more.