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Yellowstone County COVID-19 related death toll reaches 129

Two additional deaths reported Thursday
Posted at 10:45 AM, Dec 10, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-10 12:45:52-05

BILLINGS — BILLINGS – Yellowstone County health officials reported Thursday two additional residents have died due to COVID-19 related illness.

The county has now had 129 residents die from COVID-19.

According to a press release from RiverStone Health, on Monday, Dec. 7, a woman in her 80s passed away in a Yellowstone County hospital.

On Tuesday, Dec. 8, a man in his 70s passed away in a Yellowstone County hospital.

To protect the privacy of the deceased and their families, RiverStone Health will not release further information, the press release states.

These most recent deaths are reflected on the Thursday, Dec. 10 state COVID-19 tracking map.

RiverStone Health continues to work with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) to reconcile discrepancies with the total number of deaths reported for Yellowstone County.

“I offer my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased. I hope that the care and love of those surrounding them bring comfort and peace while they mourn the loss of their loved ones,” said Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton.

“Deaths occurring in the holiday season are especially painful and losing loved ones to COVID-19 is even more tragic. While there is a safe and effective vaccine on the way, it doesn’t come soon enough for the nearly 290,000 American families that have lost loved ones throughout the pandemic. While we wait for vaccine to become more plentiful, we must continue to help prevent more illness and death by wearing masks, maintaining our distance, avoiding crowds, washing hands, and staying home when ill,” said Felton.

To date, 12,273 Yellowstone County residents have been infected with COVID-19 and 129 have died.