The number of COVID-19 related fatalities in the United States has topped 8,000 on Saturday, with nearly 2,000 deaths alone reported in the last 24 hours, according to data provided by Johns Hopkins University. The cumulative number of US deaths have quadrupled in the last week.
New York City accounts for nearly one-fourth of all US deaths.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases are closing in on 300,000 in the US, which is a 150% increase from a week ago. The United States has more than one fourth of the 1.17 worldwide cases.
Nearly 10,000 have confirmed to have recovered from the virus, but data on recoveries is not complete, scientists say.
Also on Saturday, Spain surpassed Italy for the country with the second-most number of cases, but Italy remains the country with the most deaths, at nearly 15,000 fatalities.
GREAT FALLS — As of Saturday morning (April 4), there have been a total of 265 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Montana.
Governor Steve Bullock said on Tuesday afternoon that 32 patients in Montana have recovered. No new numbers for recoveries have been released since then. Bullock said during a news conference on Friday that state officials are working to provide updated recovery numbers. There have now been 24 hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients in Montana. As of Friday evening, the DPHHS public health lab in Helena has completed 6,177 tests for COVID-19.
Bullock also said on Friday that his original "stay at home" order - issued on March 26 and running through April 10 - will likely be extended next week. If it is, Bullock said that it will likely run through April 29.
NUMBER OF CASES BY COUNTY: Gallatin County - 101 Cases; Yellowstone County - 38 Cases; Flathead County - 20 Cases; Missoula County - 18 Cases; Lewis and Clark County - 13 Cases; Toole County - 12 Cases; Silver Bow County - 11 Cases; Cascade County - 11 Cases; Madison County - 6 Cases; Park County - 6 Cases; Lincoln County - 6 Cases; Broadwater County - 4 Cases; Lake County - 4 Cases; Deer Lodge County - 3 Cases; Jefferson County - 2 Cases; Ravalli County - 2 Cases; the following counties have one each: Carbon County, Beaverhead County, Musselshell County, Meagher County, Roosevelt County, Hill County, Liberty County, Glacier County.
TOOLE COUNTY: According to the official state COVID-19 website, there are now 12 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Toole County, an increase of six from yesterday. In addition, three of Montana's five COVID-19 deaths have been Toole County residents. The estimated population is about 4,900 for Toole County; for Shelby, the county seat, the number is about 3,200. Click here for details on the Toole County situation.
CASCADE COUNTY: As of Friday evening, there are 11 confirmed COVID-19 cases. They are 2 women between the ages of 20-29; 1 man between 30-39; 1 man between 40-49; 3 women and 2 men between 50-59; 1 man between 60-69; and 1 man between 80-89. KRTV has confirmed that at least one of those patients was hospitalized in Great Falls. The City-County Health Department in Great Falls continues working with the patients to determine who they may have been in direct contact with, and communicating with anyone who may have been exposed. The CCHD says that due to federal privacy laws (HIPAA), they will not release any other information about the patients, including where they live.