MISSOULA — The recent surge in COVID-19 cases has the Missoula City-County Health Department's attention.
COVID-19 Incident Commander Cindy Farr says most of the recent cases have been found in clusters and are being spread within groups of people.
While an increase in positive cases is concerning, Farr says the good news is outbreaks within clusters allows the health department to quickly identify, isolate, and test those who have been exposed.
Health officials note there has been a big jump among children and younger adults across Missoula County.
"You know, 10-to-30, we’re really seeing a big increase in the numbers of cases we’re seeing there, so we’re really keeping an eye on those clusters just to identify the trends," Farr explained.
"But also figure out, like, is there more education or outreach that we can do for those specific age groups in order for them to kind of understand how it spreads or ways that they might be able to reduce the spread," she added.
Farr noted that it's important to remain in quarantine if you've been exposed, even if you initially test negative as it may take a few days for symptoms to appear.
Missoula County reported 59 additional COVID-19 cases over the weekend with the number of active cases rising to 259.