GREAT FALLS — There were 517 new COVID-19 cases reported on Wednesday, and the statewide death toll has now reached 953, according to data compiled by MTN News during a 24-hour period.
Reports from county health departments and the state report 11 new deaths, including four in Cascade County, two in Yellowstone County, two in Lewis & Clark County, and one each in Big Horn, Carbon, and Rosebud counties. The City-County Health Department in Great Falls says the four deaths were two men and two women, all in their 70s.
The number of active cases in the state is currently 7,890, according to MTN News, and there has been a cumulative total of 78,981 cases of the virus in Montana. Of the total cases, 70,143 have recovered. There are currently 253 people hospitalized for treatment of the virus; there has been a total of 3,332 hospitalizations since March. The number of tests performed in the state has reached 766,196, an increase of 3,342 from the previous 24-hour reporting period.
The counties with the most deaths to date are:
- Yellowstone: 156
- Cascade: 95
- Big Horn: 60
- Flathead: 56
- Roosevelt: 51
- Missoula: 48
- Silver Bow: 41
- Hill: 36
- Lewis & Clark: 36
- Gallatin: 36
- Glacier: 33
- Rosebud: 28
- Blaine: 23
- Dawson: 23
SOURCES: The numbers reported above reflect the latest data from the official Montana COVID website as well as supplemental data from county health departments. The disparity between numbers provided by the MT Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS) and numbers from county health departments continues to grow as COVID cases escalate in Montana. MTN News uses both state data and county data to provide more accurate and timely information. As a result, numbers reported by MTN do not align with the DPHHS figures.
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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 experience more severe symptoms, and some do require hospitalization. Every person who tests positive for COVID, however, 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 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.