COVID-19 in Montana (Wednesday September 23)

GREAT FALLS — There were 214 new cases and two new deaths added to the total on the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking site on Wednesday morning. The data below is from the official Montana website on September 23:

• TOTAL CASES & RECOVERIES: Montana now reports 10,912 cumulative cases statewide, with 8,510 people recovered.
• HOSPITALIZATIONS: There are 124 patients currently hospitalized, and a total of 601 hospitalizations since the pandemic began.
• ACTIVE CASES: The state reports there are currently 2,237 active cases in Montana.
• DEATHS: The cumulative number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Montana is 165, an increase of two since yesterday.
• TESTING: The number of new tests is 3,151; the cumulative total of tests since March is now 317,160.

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 updates that are not yet included in the state's daily updates.

• What constitutes a recovery in official reports? Click here for details.
• What's driving the spike in COVID-19 cases in Montana? Click here for details.

CASCADE COUNTY: Cascade County has reported a cumulative number of 624 cases, an increase of 19 from yesterday. Of those, 387 are listed as recovered, 232 are currently listed as active, and five people have died. The City-County Health Department in Great Falls provided the following information about the 19 new cases, and said that these individuals have been isolated and contact investigations are underway.
(1) female 10-19
(1) male 10-19
(4) female 20-29
(5) male 20-29
(1) male 30-39
(3) female 40-49
(1) male 40-49
(1) female 50-59
(2) female 60-69

The CCHD also said that as of 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, there are no new cases associated with Great Falls Public Schools.

The CCHD said in a Facebook post: "We know this is a lot of new cases for our county. We are right around two weeks after Labor Day weekend, so we did expect an increase in case numbers. But we have also received many reports of people with mild illness going to work, school, or even parties/events, despite their symptoms. Please, send people home if they are sick and do not realize on their own that they should self-isolate! Now is not the time to be complacent—let’s work together to keep our schools, businesses, and community functioning smoothly. Stay home, wash your hands, wear a mask, disinfect surfaces." According to the CCHD, as of Tuesday there 28 active cases at Great Falls Public Schools; two of those cases were new on Tuesday, both students.

Alluvion Health in Great Falls is continuing to offer drive-through COVID-19 testing at Montana ExpoPark. The entrance is along 3rd Street NW. It is located in the Family Living Center until October 1st. The testing is open to anyone - asymptomatic, symptomatic, high risk, and direct contacts. The drive through is open Monday-Friday from 10am-6pm, and Saturday-Sunday 10am-3pm. For more information, call Alluvion at 406-454-6973.

Here is the cumulative number of cases by age range and gender in Cascade County as of September 23:

BLACKFEET RESERVATION: During a special meeting on Monday, the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council chose not to implement a 14-day stay at home order on the reservation. Click here to read more.

CDC: The federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) released data in late August which emphasizes that people with contributing or underlying medical conditions are at much greater risk of dying from COVID-19. According to the CDC, an estimated 94% of all COVID-related deaths in the nation were people who had contributing medical conditions and diseases. The CDC report states: "For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death." The report states that the most common underlying medical conditions that contributed to COVID-related deaths include respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, asthma, COPD, and influenza; diabetes; hyptertensive diseases; and heart disease. Click here to read the complete report on the CDC website.

COUNTIES REPORTING NEW CASES
Yellowstone County Cases
2,927 Total | 45 New | 676 Active

Rosebud County Cases
614 Total | 21 New | 149 Active

Flathead County Cases
923 Total | 20 New | 267 Active

Cascade County Cases
624 Total | 19 New | 232 Active

Gallatin County Cases
1,247 Total | 15 New | 83 Active

Roosevelt County Cases
213 Total | 14 New | 150 Active

Big Horn County Cases
866 Total | 9 New | 116 Active

Hill County Cases
143 Total | 9 New | 34 Active

Lewis & Clark County Cases
235 Total | 9 New | 36 Active

Chouteau County Cases
26 Total | 7 New | 11 Active

Custer County Cases
110 Total | 6 New | 24 Active

Silver Bow County Cases
241 Total | 6 New | 69 Active

Lake County Cases
260 Total | 5 New | 21 Active

Blaine County Cases
21 Total | 4 New | 6 Active

Carbon County Cases
115 Total | 3 New | 10 Active

Fergus County Cases
60 Total | 3 New | 8 Active

Park County Cases
92 Total | 3 New | 9 Active

Glacier County Cases
208 Total | 2 New | 46 Active

Jefferson County Cases
67 Total | 2 New | 21 Active

Powder River County Cases
5 Total | 2 New | 2 Active

Sweet Grass County Cases
40 Total | 2 New | 4 Active

Beaverhead County Cases
78 Total | 1 New | 4 Active

Daniels County Cases
5 Total | 1 New | 1 Active

Dawson County Cases
76 Total | 1 New | 14 Active

Missoula County Cases
584 Total | 1 New | 122 Active

Phillips County Cases
119 Total | 1 New | 3 Active

Stillwater County Cases
56 Total | 1 New | 16 Active

Teton County Cases
21 Total | 1 New | 1 Active

Wheatland County Cases
11 Total | 1 New | 2 Active

COUNTIES WITH NO NEW CASES
Broadwater County Cases
17 Total | 0 New | 0 Active

Deer Lodge County Cases
114 Total | 0 New | 31 Active

Fallon County Cases
5 Total | 0 New | 1 Active

Garfield County Cases
16 Total | 0 New | 1 Active

Golden Valley County Cases
3 Total | 0 New | 0 Active

Granite County Cases
22 Total | 0 New | 0 Active

Judith Basin County Cases
6 Total | 0 New | 0 Active

Liberty County Cases
16 Total | 0 New | 4 Active

Lincoln County Cases
106 Total | 0 New | 3 Active

Madison County Cases
97 Total | 0 New | 0 Active

McCone County Cases
19 Total | 0 New | 0 Active

Meagher County Cases
25 Total | 0 New | 13 Active

Mineral County Cases
2 Total | 0 New | 0 Active

Musselshell County Cases
35 Total | 0 New | 6 Active

Pondera County Cases
23 Total | 0 New | 3 Active

Powell County Cases
10 Total | 0 New | 0 Active

Prairie County Cases
1 Total | 0 New | 0 Active

Ravalli County Cases
129 Total | 0 New | 11 Active

Richland County Cases
77 Total | 0 New | 4 Active

Sanders County Cases
45 Total | 0 New | 2 Active

Sheridan County Cases
13 Total | 0 New | 6 Active

Toole County Cases
71 Total | 0 New | 6 Active

Treasure County Cases
3 Total | 0 New | 0 Active

Valley County Cases
1 Total | 0 New | 9 Active

Wibaux County Cases
9 Total | 0 New | 0 Active

CASES REPORTED TODAY