COVID-19 in Montana (Saturday July 11)

GREAT FALLS — Health officials reported 85 new COVID-19 cases across Montana on Saturday morning, according to the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map.

Note: official 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. The numbers below are from the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services on Saturday, July 11th:

• TOTAL CASES & RECOVERIES: There have now been 1,677 cumulative cases statewide, and 864 people have recovered from the virus.

• HOSPITALIZATIONS: There have been 127 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began; there are currently 24 patients hospitalized.

• ACTIVE CASES: The state reports there are currently 784 active COVID-19 cases in Montana.

• TESTING: The number of tests increased by 1,181 over the previous 24-hour reporting period, for a new cumulative state-wide total of 113,359.

• DEATHS: The cumulative number of deaths in Montana is 29. Two deaths were reported on Friday; the location of those deaths has not yet been disclosed. Three deaths were reported in Yellowstone County on Thursday, July 9th. Big Horn County reported on Thursday, July 2nd, that a woman in her 60s passed away in a hospital due to COVID-19. There have been six deaths in Toole County, four in Yellowstone County, four in Big Horn County, two in Cascade County, and two in Flathead County. The other deaths have been reported in Gallatin, Lincoln, Madison, Ravalli, and Missoula counties. Prior to Thursday, the most recent death was reported on June 26th.

CASCADE COUNTY: Studio Montage Salon & Spa in downtown Great Falls said on Thursday that two of its employees tested positive for COVID-19; click here for details.

The Cascade City-County Health Department in Great Falls on Friday issued a public health order that limits group gatherings to 250 people at indoor events and 500 people at outdoor venues. Click here to read more.

The CCHD also announced on Friday evening that they have identified five new cases of COVID-19; this brings the cumulative number to 49 cases in Cascade County, 17 of which are active. One new case was found through contact tracing - a man in his 20s. Four people acquired COVID-19 through community spread: a man in his 50s; a woman in her 20s; a woman in her 70s, and a man in his 30s. As in all cases, these people are isolated and CCHD is conducting contact tracing.

Free drive-through testing is available in Great Falls from Alluvion Health; click here for location and times. The lack of specific information about cases has some people upset, but the disclosure of patient information is regulated at both the federal and the state level. Click here to read more about privacy regulations.

MISSOULA COUNTY: The Missoula City-County Board of Health approved a rule that requires people over the age of 12 to wear face masks in most indoor public settings; click here to read more.

GALLATIN COUNTY: Gallatin County will soon consider two emergency health rules, including required face coverings in public; click here for details.

NEW CASES REPORTED ON JULY 11