COVID-19 in Montana (Wednesday July 15)

GREAT FALLS — Health officials reported 145 new COVID-19 cases across Montana on Wednesday 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 Wednesday, July 15th:

TOTAL CASES & RECOVERIES: There have now been 2,096 cumulative cases statewide, and 915 people have recovered from the virus.

• HOSPITALIZATIONS: There have been 145 hospitalizations due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began; there are currently 37 patients hospitalized.

• ACTIVE CASES: The state reports there are currently 1,147 active COVID-19 cases in Montana.

• TESTING: The number of tests increased by 2,362 over the previous 24-hour reporting period, for a new cumulative state-wide total of 123,758.

• DEATHS: The cumulative number of deaths in Montana is now 34. Two deaths were reported on Tuesday, both in Yellowstone County. Three deaths were also 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.

Gallatin County had the most new cases with 72. Yellowstone County reported 27 new cases. Eight new cases were reported in each Flathead County and Garfield County. There are seven new cases in Big Horn County, and Cascade County added six new cases. Missoula County has five new cases, and two new cases were reported in Lewis & Clark, Ravalli, and Richland counties. Beaverhead Carbon, Lake, Madison, Rosebud, and Sweet Grass counties each added one new case.

The City-County Health Department in Great Falls said on Tuesday that the six new cases in Cascade County are: a male under the age of 18; a female under the age of 18; a man in his 40s; a woman in her 50s; a woman in her 60s; and a man in his 70s. All of them have been isolated and CCHD is performing contact tracing, according to the agency. The cumulative number of cases in Cascade County is 56; there are currently 22 active cases. A total of 32 patients have recovered, and two died.

Studio Montage Salon & Spa in downtown Great Falls said last 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.

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

• Mask mandate for Walmart and Sam's Club
• COVID-19 spikes in Lincoln County
• Whitefish approves mask requirement

NEW CASES REPORTED ON WEDNESDAY