There were 1,191 new COVID-19 cases reported in Montana on Friday morning, and the statewide death toll has now reached 754, according to data compiled by MTN News during a 24-hour period.
Five additional COVID-19 deaths have been reported since Thursday, with one each in Phillips, Park, Missoula, Ravalli, and Lake counties.
There are currently 483 people hospitalized, and the cumulative number of hospitalizations is 2,810. There are currently 15,952 active cases in the state, and there has been a cumulative total of 66,796 cases of the virus in Montana, MTN News reports. Of the total cases, 50,090 have recovered. The number of tests performed in the state has reached 675,262, an increase of 6,181 during the previous 24-hour reporting period.
The counties with the most cumulative deaths as of Friday are:
- Big Horn: 48
- Cascade: 78
- Flathead: 39
- Gallatin: 24
- Glacier: 29
- Hill: 32
- Missoula: 44
- Roosevelt: 45
- Rosebud: 25
- Silver Bow: 34
- Yellowstone: 124
SOURCES: The numbers reported above reflect the latest data from the official Montana COVID website, along with supplemental data from county health departments. The disparity between data from the Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS) and data from county health departments continues to grow as COVID-19 cases escalate in Montana. MTN uses both sources to deliver more accurate and timely information. As a result, numbers reported by MTN will not align precisely with the DPHHS figures.
- Age/gender/county of new cases (state data)
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- What constitutes a COVID recovery?
- Privacy laws and HIPAA: Click here for details
VACCINE: DPHHS has released a draft vaccine distribution plan; there will be three phases of distribution. DPHHS says the vaccine will not be mandatory, and that everyone who wants to get it will be able to eventually. Click here for details.
CONTEXT: Not every person who tests positive actually becomes ill or exhibits symptoms. Many do not; of those who do become sick, some experience mild symptoms and do not require hospitalization. Others experience more severe symptoms, and some do require hospitalization. Every person who tests positive for COVID, however, has the potential to spread the virus to other people, including family members and friends, which is why public health officials continue to encourage everyone to wear a mask and maintain at least the recommended six feet of "social distance" when in public. The CDC released data in late August which emphasizes that people with contributing or chronic medical conditions are at much greater risk of dying from COVID-19. Click here to read more.
