COVID-19 in Montana (Tuesday, May 5)

GREAT FALLS — As of Tuesday morning (May 5), there have been a total of 456 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Montana, 410 recovered patients, and 16 deaths, according to the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services, with no new cases since Monday.

The Tuesday number of total cases is a decrease of one since Monday. DPHHS explained in a news release: "Users may notice that the overall COVID case number has decreased by one since yesterday's report. After a thorough public health investigation, Montana public health officials have determined that a case thought to be from Fergus County is not a resident of Montana and the patient has not been in Montana for nearly a year. Since this case poses no known risk to residents of Montana, it has been removed from the count."

The following data is from DPHHS:

• There have been a total of 410 recovered patients to date. The number of recoveries by county has not been released at this point.
• There are currently an estimated 29 active cases in Montana.
• There have been 16 deaths in Montana to date. There have been six deaths in Toole County, two in Cascade County, two in Flathead County, two in Yellowstone County, and one each in Lincoln County, Madison County, Missoula County, and Gallatin County.
• There have now been 62 hospitalizations to date of COVID-19 patients in Montana; 6 of those are "active (current) hospitalizations."
• The DPHHS public health lab has completed 15,272 tests for COVID-19, including 184 tests since yesterday's update. The number of tests per county is not included in the DPHHS updates.
• Click here to see the current total of confirmed and active cases by county

RESTAURANTS: Many restaurants have begun to re-open their dining rooms, as Governor Steve Bullock's three-phase "Re-opening The Big Sky" plan allowed such beginning on Monday, May 4th. They are re-opening with enhanced safety and health protocols in place; click here to read more.

RE-OPENING THE BIG SKY: Bullock last month released a three-phase plan for re-opening businesses and other activities across Montana - click here for details.

SCHOOLS: The Great Falls Public Schools Board of Trustees said on Friday that they will not re-open campuses, and distance learning will continue for the remainder of the current school year. Click here to read more. Many other school districts announced last week that they will not re-open classrooms for the remainder of the school year, including Billings, Bozeman, Glasgow, Missoula, Butte, Helena, and Whitefish.

TESTING: Governor Steve Bullock on Wednesday outlined a framework to ramp up COVID-19 testing capacity in Montana over the next several months with a goal to eventually conduct 60,000 tests per month and prioritize testing for vulnerable people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, tribal communities, and those with COVID-19 symptoms. Click here for details. Alluvion Health opened a drive-through testing clinic in Great Falls on Monday; click here for details.

BLACKFEET TRIBE: The Blackfeet Tribe reported on Friday that a tribal member has died as a result of COVID-19. Tribal officials note the person - who we have learned was an older male - was not on the Blackfeet Reservation at the time of his passing. “Our thoughts and prayers to the family during this time,” the Tribe said in a social media post. The man's death is not yet reflected in the official DPHHS totals.

CASCADE COUNTY: According to the City-County Health Department in Great Falls, there have been two COVID-19 deaths in Cascade County. According to MT DPHHS, there have been 16 COVID-19 cases in Cascade County to date; 11 of those cases are now listed as recovered, and three cases are currently listed as "active."

THE REBOUND: MONTANA: We know the COVID-19 pandemic is changing our community. To keep you and your family informed as we move forward, we're beginning a new series of reports. They are stories that will help all of us navigate through these uncertain times. In the coming weeks and months, we'll be focusing on “The Rebound: Montana.” It is a series of reports, videos, and information that show our commitment to stories that will help you as our communities begin to rebound - from what you'll need to know when it's time to go back to work, to how those in the community continue to step up and help others.