Cascade County reports 4th death, state adds 155 COVID-19 cases Friday

Montana reported 155 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, along with five more deaths, increasing the total of fatalities posted by the state on its website from 65 to 70.

Information on all five of the deaths was not immediately available. Cascade County reported its fourth death, saying it was a man over 65 with underlying health conditions. It was not part of Friday's state count. The county on Thursday announced a third death, also a man over 65 with underlying health conditions.

Officials with the Cascade City-County Health Department said the death was not related to an "outbreak" of six cases reported earlier in the week in an assisted-living facility.

“My heart goes out to the family and friends who are grieving this man’s death,” states Trisha Gardner, county health officer said in an email. “To honor the people whose deaths have been caused by COVID-19, I ask our community to continue to fight the spread of this virus. It’s still here with us, and we can protect our own parents and grandparents and neighbors by taking prevention seriously.”

On Thursday it was announced by tribal health officials that two men from the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation died due to “contributing factors related to COVID-19.”

The total number of confirmed coronavirus reports in Montana is now 4,757. There are 3,122 people who have recovered and 1,565 cases remain active. There are 84 people who are hospitalized out of 246 hospitalizations.

The state has administered 187,756 tests, which is 1,941 more than what was reported Thursday.

On Rocky Boy, one of the deaths was a man in his 50s and the other was in his 60s. These were the first two deaths attributed to the respiratory illness on the reservation. Both had underlying health conditions.

The reservation's stay-at-home mandate remains in effect on the Rocky Boy Reservation as ordered by the Chippewa Cree Tribe, as well as a curfew.

Flathead and Yellowstone counties each reported 21 new cases, Missoula had 20s and Phillips had 16.

Big Horn had 13, Silver Bow reported 10 and Ravalli County reported eight.

Carbon and Gallatin counties had seven new cases, Glacier  had six and Beaverhead, Custer, Lake and Madison counties each reported three and Deer Lodge and Toole counties each reported two.

One case each was reported in Cascade, Chouteau, Dawson, Hill, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Pondera, Sheridan, Stillwater and Valley counties.

Cascade County's newest case was a woman in her 40s. The county has 51 active cases, 108 recoveries and four deaths.

Chouteau County's newest case was a woman in her 30s. It has five active cases and three recoveries.

Glacier County's newest cases involved a man and woman in their 60s, two men and a woman in their 50s and a man in his 40s. It has 17 active cases, 51 recoveries and one death. 

Hill County's latest case was a woman in her 60s. It has 21 active cases, 19 recoveries and two deaths.

Pondera Count's newest case was a woman in her 20s. It has five active cases and six recoveries.

Toole County's newest case was a female under 19. It has 11 active cases, 25 recoveries and six deaths.

The number of cases has grown 16.5% since Aug. 1, from 4,081 to 4,757.

The coronavirus has been reported in 53 of the state's 56 counties. Carter, Mineral and Petroleum counties have not had any reports.

Gov. Steve Bullock issued a directive July 15, making masks mandatory in certain indoor spaces and at some outdoor activities in Montana counties with four or more active cases, effective immediately.

Bullock issued a directive giving counties the option of holding voting by mail in the November general election, adding it was unlikely the pandemic will have abated by then.

He said he was in agreement with election administrators, that the right to vote must be protected along with protecting public health.  

Bullock also said he will direct up to $20 million to the Montana University System to help its COVID-19 efforts for testing students in the fall semester. 

“This funding will enable campuses to carry out testing and response protocols that are targeted, rapid and effective,” he said.

Montana University System Commissioner Clayton Christian talked about testing priorities.

He said they will concentrate on keeping individual cases from turning into clusters and from trying to keep clusters from turning into bigger outbreaks.

"We'll have a laser focus on addressing symptomatic individuals to rapid quarantine, rapid testing and isolation of individuals who test positive ..."  Christian said, adding the effort will mean more health service staff, technicians and help from public health partners.

Students will be asked to self-screen daily for symptoms, wear masks in classes and avoid large gatherings. The Montana University System enrolls more than 40,000 students across 16 public universities and colleges, according to its website.

Funding for the testing is from the state’s $1.25 billion allocation of federal relief dollars made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Reporter Phil Drake is our eye on the state capitol. For tips, suggestions or comment, he can be reached at 406-231-9021 or pdrake@greatfallstribune.com.