MISSOULA — Missoula County COVID-19 Incident Commander Cindy Farr offered up the latest information on the coronavirus in the below video.
There are 40 COVID-19 cases in Missoula County as of Monday. One COVID-19 related death has also been reported.
Farr notes that there have been 26 people who have recovered from COVID-19. There are also 185 "close contact" cases that are being monitored in Missoula County.
Farr discusses several topics in Monday's briefing including case counts, deaths from COVID-19, telehealth options, and the Sleepy Inn quarantine and isolation site.
It should be noted that the Missoula City-County Health Department often finds out results from private labs and updates numbers before the state and there are also differences in reporting criteria, so the local numbers may differ from those that appear on the Montana COVID-19 tracking map.
For example, the state does not report epidemiologically linked 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.
Missoula County is continuing to see signs of community spread, meaning that there are cases where exposure can no longer be traced to another positive case or connected to travel.
The appointment-only COVID-19 Testing Center at the Missoula County Fairgrounds has expanded its services. People with COVID19 symptoms -- such as cough, fever and difficulty breathing -- or are caring for someone with symptoms, should call (406) 258-INFO. Missoula County residents and Missoula healthcare workers with symptoms may get scheduled for testing.
The health department is continuing to emphasize the importance of social distancing, which means avoiding crowds and providing distance between yourself and another person when interacting. Businesses, groups, and other organizations are encouraged to find different ways of delivering services and holding meetings and events.
Whenever possible, stay home, limit exposure to large crowds, and use technology to meet your needs. Anyone who is in the vulnerable population recognize that you are at higher-risk, and should limit exposure as much as possible.
There are mental health resources and information available for residents who are in need of help. Click here for details on what services are available.
Local health officials note that Missoula County is seeing signs of community spread, meaning we have cases where their exposure can no longer be traced to another positive case or connected to travel. Anyone who has arrived in Missoula County after having traveled out of state in the past 14 days is asked to contact local health officials at (406) 258-3896. This applies to all travel, including vehicle travel.
The Missoula County COVID-19 info line can be reached by calling (406) 258-INFO weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Additional local information about the coronavirus situation can be found here.
Gov. Steve Bullock announced on Friday that after April 24 -- which is currently when the directives closing public schools and requiring people to stay home are set to expire -- a plan will be put in place to allow for a gradual reopening of Montana.
