KALISPELL — State health officials are reporting an additional 64 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Flathead County.
The Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map showed that as of Tuesday morning the number of active cases has risen to 519.
A total of 1,176 cases have been recorded in Flathead County to date including 638 recoveries and 19 deaths.
A total of 18 deaths was reported on Tuesday.
Community spread of COVID-19 is still taking place, according to the Flathead City-County Health Department (FCCHD).
FCCHD noted in a Wednesday news release that "[p]ublic health staff continues its sustained efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Flathead County."
"The pandemic has not abated. Instead, the rate of infection has increased markedly over the past several weeks," the news release continued. "New cases of COVID-19 in the Flathead are surging at an alarming rate comparted to the early months of the pandemic. Over the past weekend, 205 new cases were reported. Contract tracing by FCCHD staff has expanded proportionally, and the call line from concerned citizens is also experiencing record high call volume."
“This staff is working diligently to protect this community, and those efforts do not go unappreciated,” stated Bill Burg, Chair of the Flathead County Board of Health. “Thank you to the FCCHD staff for your tireless efforts to protect our most vulnerable community members.”