GREAT FALLS — The Cascade City-County Health Department announced on Friday afternoon that two more people have died due to COVID-19, bringing the total number of COVID deaths in Cascade County to 10.
The CCHD said that the two people were a man in his 40s and a woman in her 80s, and that both had underlying health conditions. Out of respect for the families, no further details will be released.
The CCHD included in a news release the following information about preventing or slowing the spread of COVID:
- Stay home when sick
- Quarantine when you have been instructed to do so by a health care provider or the Health Department
- Wash hands frequently and thoroughly
- Avoid gathering in large groups & social distance wherever possible
- Wear masks or face coverings in public indoor spaces
“There are now two more families, two more groups of loved ones, grieving because of COVID-19, and here at CCHD we are mourning with them,” said Trisha Gardner, the Health Officer for Cascade County. “This is not controversial: we have community-wide transmission of COVID-19, and no one in our community is expendable. It is my hope that learning about yet more mourning neighbors will bring out the best in us; that it will bring us together to curb the spread of this disease. If we cultivate a strong sense of taking care of one another—if we become deeply aware that our personal actions can make or break local schools, businesses, and hospitals, and act accordingly—then we can get through this and prevent more deaths.”
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(FRIDAY MORNING) There were 715 new cases and nine new deaths added to the total on the Montana COVID-19 tracking site on Friday morning. The data below is from the official Montana website on October 9:
- TOTAL CASES & RECOVERIES: There have been 17,399 cumulative cases statewide, with 10,863 people recovered.
- HOSPITALIZATIONS: There are 266 current hospitalizations, and a cumulative total of 868 hospitalizations.
- DEATHS: The cumulative number of deaths in Montana is at 206.
- ACTIVE CASES: The state reports there are currently 6,330 active COVID-19 cases in Montana.
- TESTING: There were 5,081 completed tests, for a new cumulative state-wide total of 386,746.
Based on data from county public health departments, MTN News is also reporting 205 total deaths as of Friday morning. Numbers reported by the state each day occasionally differ from those reported by county public health departments due to periodic lag times in reporting data to the state. We encourage people to check the official website and/or Facebook page of their respective county health department for any information that is not yet included in the state's daily updates.
It's important to note that not every person who tests positive actually becomes ill or exhibits symptoms. Many do not; of those who do become sick, some experience mild symptoms and do not require hospitalization. Others, however, do require hospitalization, as noted in the daily update on the number of people hospitalized. However, every person who does test positive for COVID-19 has the potential to spread the virus to other people, including family members and friends, which is why public health officials continue to encourage everyone to wear a mask and maintain at least the recommended six feet of "social distance" when in public.