KALISPELL — Health officials in Lincoln County are attributing a spike in COVID-19 cases over the weekend to a cluster outbreak, as seven new cases were reported on Monday.
The Lincoln County Health Department reports three of the seven new cases are part of a cluster in Libby while two are from out-of-state travel. The other two cases have not been connected to any other known cases.
Right now, 26 of the county's 33 active cases are part of a cluster outbreak in Libby. Health officials had reported 18 positive cases were confirmed there on Sunday.
Lincoln County Public Health Manager Jennifer McCully says the spike can’t be attributed to a certain event or large gathering.
People who tested positive in the cluster outbreak are known to have interacted with one another on a frequent basis.
“We haven’t been able to bring it back to an event or a gathering of any kind, it’s a community of folks that intermingle quite a bit, so we were expecting some cases this weekend out of that," McCully said.
She also told MTN News that she expects the number of COVID-19 cases to continue to rise in Lincoln County for the foreseeable future.
McCully is encouraging people to avoid large gatherings and to frequently wash their hands.