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Increase in COVID cases across Montana is putting a strain on hospitals

Posted at 3:49 PM, Sep 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-30 20:45:05-04

Montana has averaged more than 300 new COVID-19 cases a day for the last week, and several hospitals say they're feeling the stress from COVID hospitalizations and are highlighting the importance of following COVID guidelines.

Governor Steve Bullock was joined by several chief medical officers during a news conference on Wednesday to address the increase in COVID-19 cases.

They said that Benefis Health System in Great Falls is currently at 115% capacity, with 37 patients hospitalized due to COVID complications, seven of whom are in the ICU. The latest data from the state shows that Cascade County has reported a cumulative total of 729 COVID-19 cases; of those, 434 have recovered, five have died, and 290 are currently listed as "active."

Dr. Shelly Harkins, chief medical officer at St. Peter’s Health in Helena, said even though they’re doing better than a lot of the state with only four current hospitalizations, they’re losing ground.

“Recently, in the last days to couple of weeks, the Helena community and surrounding counties we serve are seeing a very concerning increasing trend of COVID-19 cases,” said Harkins. “While our hospitalizations seem low compared to other hospitals in Montana, we anticipated based on the increase number of cases we will see an increase in number of hospitalizations in the coming weeks to months. At this pace we may reach our maximum capacity.”

They also said that medical supplies in the Billings area have been stressed, with days of single-digit bed capacity remaining available.

“We have seen some instances there where supplies are getting pretty tight and as we move into respiratory season in the fall, there’s concern that those systems are going to be even further stressed,” said Communicable Disease Bureau Chief Jim Murphy of the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services. “There have been days where they’ve been down to single digits in capacity, with only eight percent of beds remaining.



Bullock said that while the system isn't overstressed yet, hospitals are in a difficult situation as cold and flu season approaches. "Our concerning trend in cases should cause us all some alarm. And what’s most concerning is knowing what can happen to our healthcare system if we don’t get the spread of this virus under control now. We’ve seen it happen in other states and there’s no real reason for it to happen in Montana," he said.

Bullock said words from the governor won't convince everyone to take wearing a mask and social distancing seriously, but hopes they will listen to doctors and nurses who are dealing with the virus every single day, and have watched Montanans die because of the virus.

“It’s very demoralizing for our healthcare workers observing others who fail to embrace these simple healthcare precautions and put people at risk,” said Dr. Mark Williams, chief physician officer at Bozeman Health. “We have dedicated nurses in our assisted living homes that literally cry at the end of their shift because they feel a degree of helplessness in taking care of those residents who are cut off from their families and friends because some in the community can’t abide by these simple measures.”



A top White House coronavirus expert said Wednesday in an interview with MTN News that Montana is seeing "significant community spread" of COVID-19 in different parts of the state.

Dr. Deborah Birx, who has served as the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force since February, said in a satellite interview that Montanans need to prioritize mask wearing and social distancing as the fall and holiday season arrives. "You need to wear a mask, and you have to understand that the people you invite over for dinner may have the virus. You cannot have these social gatherings right now, or go into crowded areas without having a mask on or physically distancing," Birx said.



Birx said she monitors infection rates on a state level and is troubled with rising death and hospitalizations in Montana. She noted recent upticks in cases in Cascade, Big Horn, and Rosebud counties. Over the summer, the major increases statewide were in Yellowstone and Gallatin counties, but Birx noted that Gallatin seems to be managing to tamp down spread as cases have been dropping.

Birx encouraged Montanans to be diligent about face masks and social distancing heading into the fall, when cooler temperatures will force more people indoors. "This is a very risky time, and we need to stop the spread of the virus throughout these communities in Montana," she said.

Birx also spoke about protections against virus spread in schools and universities, her own efforts to physically distance from her elderly parents, and her belief that Montanans can engineer holiday gatherings to protect against spread.



The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation announced on Wednesday that it will implement a two-week shut-down due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases; click here for details. A similiar order is currently in effect on the Blackfeet Reservation; click here for details.



There were 348 new cases and three new deaths added to the total on the Montana COVID-19 tracking site on Wednesday morning. The data below is from the official Montana website on September 30:

  • TOTAL CASES & RECOVERIES: Montana now reports 13,071 cumulative cases statewide, with 9,256 people recovered.
  • HOSPITALIZATIONS: The state reports 170 current hospitalizations, and a cumulative total of 717 hospitalizations.
  • ACTIVE CASES: The state reports there are currently 3,635 active COVID-19 cases in Montana.
  • TESTING: The number of tests increased by 3,232 over the previous 24-hour reporting period, for a new cumulative state-wide total of 343,158.
  • DEATHS: The cumulative number of deaths in Montana is at 180, an increase of three since Monday.

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.