HELENA — There were 1,332 new COVID cases reported in Montana on Wednesday, September 29, 2021 with a current total of 11,981 active cases in the state, according to the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS). Information from DPHHS at this point does not include data on whether new cases occurred among vaccinated or unvaccinated people.
The number of Montanans who have died due to COVID now stands at 2,001, up from 1,989 on Tuesday, according to DPHHS. A total of 12 deaths were added on Wednesday, with nine occurring this month, and three as part of data reconciliation going back to January 2021.
The 12 deaths were in the following counties: Beaverhead (1) Broadwater (1), Hill (1), Lake (1), Lewis & Clark (1), Missoula (1), Park (1), Phillips (2), Wheatland (1), and Yellowstone (2).
The number of people currently hospitalized due to COVID has dropped from 427 on Tuesday to 418. The cumulative number of hospitalizations in Montana due to the virus is 7,527.
DPHHS released a report on Monday highlighting Montana data from February 2021 to September 2021, and found that 89.5% of the cases, 88.6% of hospitalizations, and 83.5% of the deaths were among people who were not fully vaccinated, including those not yet eligible for vaccination. Click here for more information and the full report.
An estimated 53% of eligible residents are now vaccinated, with 486,897 Montanans now considered fully vaccinated. If you want to get vaccinated, contact your county health department, or click here.
Counties with the most new cases
- Yellowstone County: 256 new; 2,831 active
- Flathead County: 179 new; 1,170 active
- Missoula County: 165 new; 1,790 active
- Cascade County: 87 new; 1,307 active
- Gallatin County: 80 new; 789 active
- Silver Bow County: 73 new; 249 active
- Lewis & Clark County: 53 new; 579 active
- Lake County: 51 new; 272 active
- Sanders County: 46 new; 165 active
There have been 149,824 cumulative cases of COVID in Montana. The cumulative number of recoveries is now 135,842. An additional 6,709 COVID tests have been administered.
The information above is from the DPHHS website and is current as of Wednesday, September 29, 2021. The state website has county-specific data on vaccination rates, new/total cases, and more.
Last week, at the request of the following hospitals, Governor Greg Gianforte announced he is sending Montana National Guard troops to help with their COVID response:
- St. Peter’s Health in Helena: 10 Guard
- Billings Clinic in Billings 20: Guard
- St. James Healthcare in Butte: 6 Guard
- St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings: 10 Guard
- Missoula County: 24 Guard
- Bozeman Health in Bozeman: 10 Guard
- Benefis Health System in Great Falls: 20 Guard
- Livingston HealthCare in Livingston: 6 Guard
- Logan Health in Kalispell: 25 Guard
- Logan Health in Whitefish: 2 Guard
- Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains: 4 Guard
The Guard members will support staffing with non-medical ICU assistance, environmental services, patient data entry, and COVID testing, according to the governor's office.
Montana is not the only state deploying National Guard troops to help hospitals - other states include Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, Kentucky, and Tennessee.