MISSOULA — Newly released numbers show a pair of additional COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Missoula County.
The latest cases -- being reported by the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map -- are both in males between the ages of 40 and 49.
Missoula County COVID-19 Incident Commander Cindy Farr says that a preliminary investigation indicates that while one of the cases had travel history, the other had no travel history and no contact to a known case -- meaning that there is evidence of community spread.
The cases and known contacts are in quarantine and isolation and Farr says they will continue to be monitored and supported by medical staff as needed.
There have been now 44 total COVID-19 cases reported in Missoula County, including two **epi-linked cases recorded by the Missoula City-County Health Department.
One person has died of COVID-19 in Missoula County and there have been 40 recoveries as of Tuesday morning.
The Missoula City-County Health Department continues to emphasize the importance of social distancing, which means avoiding crowds and providing distance between yourself and another person when interacting.
Local health officials encourage businesses, groups, and other organizations to find different ways of delivering services and holding meetings and events.
There are also five active COVID-19 cases being reported in Ravalli County -- including one hospitalization.
Lake County health officials reported on Tuesday morning that there is currently one presumptive positive and four active COVID-19 cases.
** Cases that are “epi-linked” developed symptoms while in quarantine after being identified as close contacts to cases that tested positive. Epi-linked cases are isolated and monitored by public health, just like lab-confirmed positive cases.