More COVID-19-related deaths hit area

This region of Montana has seen two more COVID-19-related deaths.

Blaine County Health Department reported Monday another COVID-19-related death in the area, bringing that county's total to 26 deaths, and the state COVID data tracking map listed a total of two deaths in Liberty County with its first new COVID-19-related death since 2020.

The COVID-19-related death reported by the health department is Blaine County's second in October.

That department also reported 22 new cases being confirmed Friday through Monday, bringing the total of active cases in the county to 76 with three active hospitalizations. It has had 210 new cases confirmed since the start of the month and 485 confirmed since Aug. 6, the day Havre Daily again began tracking daily counts as the delta variant-driven surge hit the area.

Hill County has had 60 deaths total, seven in October and 14 since Aug. 6.

The Hill County Health Department reported Monday that the county had 16 new cases confirmed Saturday through Monday with 349 new cases so far in October and 1,141 new cases since Aug. 6.

It reported 13 active hospitalizations of county residents Monday.

Chouteau County has had one death since Aug. 6 for a total of eight COVID-19-related deaths in that county, with 64 new cases since Oct. 4 - Chouteau and Liberty counties' data was not available Oct. 1 - and 166 new cases in Chouteau County since Aug. 6.

Liberty County has seen 26 new cases since Oct. 4 and 134 new cases since Aug. 6.

And cases continue to hit schools.

Health officials have reported a higher percentage of new cases being among younger ages, likely due to relaxation of school precautions in some areas and because more and more people in the older age groups being vaccinated.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, fully authorized for people 16 and older, has received an emergency use authorization for children 12-15 and Pfizer has applied for authorization to vaccinate children ages 5 to 11, with the FDA expected to act on that request soon. An agency panel was meeting today to consider the request.

Pfizer also is conducting a study on using its vaccine on children from six months to four years, and the companies with the other vaccines with emergency use authorizations in the U.S., Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, also have been conducting studies on using their vaccines on children.

Those vaccines, the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccine, have emergency use authorization for people 18 and older.

Whatever the cause of more young people contracting the disease, it continues in this area.

In reports issued by Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services from last Tuesday through Monday, it listed in Hill County seven cases in children from birth through 9 and nine cases in people 10-19.

The reports listed in Blaine County nine cases birth through 9 and five 10 to 19; in Chouteau County three cases birth through 9 and one 10-19. The reports did not list any cases in Liberty County in the past week younger than 20.

Havre Public Schools reported that it saw six cases in people associated with the school district last week from Monday through Thursday, with cases having contacts with people in Highland Park Early Primary School, Lincoln-McKinley Primary School, Havre Middle School and Havre High School.

During the surge, health officials have continued the message they have given basically from the start of the pandemic.

People should stay home if they don't feel well, the officials say, should regularly wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap or with a hand sanitizer including at least 60 percent alcohol, should regularly wash and sanitize surfaces, should wear a mask when in indoor public spaces, and anyone who can should get vaccinated.

In Hill County, vaccinations are available through Bullhook Community Health Center, 406-395-4305; the Hill County Health Department, 406-400-2415; Northern Montana Health Care's Specialty Medical Center at 406-265-7831 or its Family Medical Center at 406-265-5408; Western Drug Pharmacy, 406-265-9601; Gary & Leo's Pharmacy, which takes walk-ins; Walmart; and the Rocky Boy Health Center, 406-395-1655.

Vaccinations are available in Blaine County through Blaine County Health Department, 406-357-2345, and Fort Belknap Health Center, 406-353-3219.

Vaccine is available in Chouteau County at the Chouteau County Health Department, 406-622-3771, and Big Sandy Pharmacy at 406-378-5588.

People can call Liberty County Health Department at 406-759-5517 to schedule a vaccination.

The Food and Drug Administration also has expanded its allowance of booster vaccinations.

FDA authorized Sept. 22 giving a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to eligible populations which originally had been vaccinated with that vaccine.

Those eligible groups are FDA has authorized using boosters are people 65 and older, people 18 to 64 at high risk of severe COVID-19 and people 18 to 64 years old who live or work in areas giving them frequent exposure to COVID-19.

People in those groups could get a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months after the completion of the original vaccination series - the Pfizer vaccinations required two shots to be complete.

The authorization last Wednesday allows a single booster shot of the Moderna vaccine at half the dosage of an original vaccination at least six months after completion of a vaccination series - the Moderna vaccine also used a two-shot series for full vaccination - and allows a single booster dose of the Janssen Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only gave one shot for its vaccination, at least two months after completion of vaccination with that vaccine for anyone 18 and older.

And the authorization allows people to "mix-and-match" their booster, getting a booster with any of the authorized vaccines even if it is different than the vaccine used in the original vaccination.

The release gives an example that Janssen COVID-19 vaccine recipients 18 years of age and older may receive a single booster dose of Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine (half dose) or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine at least two months after receiving their Janssen COVID-19 vaccine primary vaccination. 

In another example, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine recipients falling into one of the authorized categories for boosters may receive a booster dose of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine - half dose - Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine at least six months after completing their primary vaccination.