GREAT FALLS — The Cascade City-County Health Department reported two deaths related to COVID-19 in Cascade County on Sunday afternoon.
Both individuals were men in their 70s with underlying health conditions, the release says. No further details were released "out of respect for the families," according to the release.
The news brings the cumulative total of coronavirus-related deaths in Cascade County to eight as of Sunday afternoon. On Sunday morning, Cascade County has reported a cumulative number of 879 cases, an increase of 20 from Saturday. Of those, 438 are currently listed as active.
“Our hearts are heavy, thinking of these men’s loved ones who are mourning right now,” said Trisha Gardner, CCHD health officer, in the release. "I hope our community will consider the impact their actions have on older Montanans and those with underlying conditions in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. We can protect our own parents and grandparents and neighbors by doing whatever we can to stop the spread of this virus."
The additional deaths bring the cumulative total of coronavirus-related deaths in Montana to 191 as of Sunday afternoon.
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CDC: The federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) released data last month which emphasizes that people with contributing or underlying medical conditions are at much greater risk of dying from COVID-19. According to the CDC, an estimated 94% of all COVID-related deaths in the nation were people who had contributing medical conditions and diseases. The CDC report states: "For 6% of the deaths, COVID-19 was the only cause mentioned. For deaths with conditions or causes in addition to COVID-19, on average, there were 2.6 additional conditions or causes per death." The report states that the most common underlying medical conditions that contributed to COVID-related deaths include respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, asthma, and COPD; diabetes; hyptertensive diseases; and heart disease. Click here to learn more on the CDC website.
The CDC also recently released an update to their research into fatality rates associated with COVID-19. A summary of COVID-19 survival rates is shown below; the summary is one of five based on several scenarios. The CDC data and scenarios can be found here.
COVID-19 Survival Rates
- Age 0-19: 99.997%
- Age 20-49: 99.98%
- Age 50-69: 99.5%
- Age 70+: 94.6%
The CDC says the scenarios are intended to advance public health preparedness and planning, and are not predictions or estimates of the expected impact of COVID-19. The parameter values in each scenario will be updated and augmented over time, as the agency learns more about the epidemiology of COVID-19. The update from September 10th is based on data received by the CDC through August 8.
