State sets new record in daily COVID-19 confirmations

Although the number of daily new COVID-19 cases has dropped some in Hill and Blaine counties following a major surge in the fall, the numbers continue to rise in the state.

Montana’s COVID-19 response tracking map in its update Tuesday listed 1,101 new cases, the highest number of one-day cases to date.

The update for today was not available by printing deadline this morning.

The state total since the disease was first confirmed in Montana in March was at 41,151 with 16,816 active cases, 487 active hospitalizations and 462 deaths.

Afrer no new cases being confirmed in Blaine, Chouteau, Hill and Liberty counties from March through June — one case was confirmed in Hill County in March and on in Liberty County in March — new cases started being confirmed in July.

In August, September and October, the case numbers continued to rise in the area.

Chouteau County Health Department reported six new cases Tuesday — Tuesday morning’s state map listed 85 active cases and a total of 161 in the county — with at least three hospitalized and warned county residents Monday that some of their neighbors were putting them at risk.

“When deciding whether to wear your mask, please know that you have neighbors who have been determined to be close contacts to a positive case of COVID-19 who are refusing to quarantine, thereby putting the community at increased risk of infection,” the department said in Facebook post. “Of note, these are likely people who also refuse to wear a mask in public.”

Health experts and agencies recommend wearing a mask to reduce the chance of people with the virus spreading it to others.

Blaine County saw a surge in the virus, including it being confirmed in Sweet Home long-term care center in Chinook.

The facility Monday reported it had 16 positive staff members, of whom seven were able to return to work, 22 positive residents with two in “recovered” status and five COVID-19-related deaths.

Blaine County Health Department Tuesday night reported 13 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, with the county at a total of 443 cases, 138 active, nine hospitalized and 13 deaths.

Liberty County was listed on Tuesday morning’s map as having 40 total cases, two active and 37 recovered, and the county has had its first COVID-19-related death.

Hill County Health Department Tuesday night reported 15 new confirmations of COVID-19, for a total of 1,052 in the county, 231 active, 24 active hospitalizations and 26 deaths.

Northern Montana Care Center had its first confirmed cases in September, with a total of 36 positive residents with 15 dying and 50 staff members testing positive over the course of the infection.

Northern Montana Health Care Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator Julianne LaSmith said last Friday that the care center had no active cases at that time.