![]() ![]() An average of 36,000 tests were completed weekly in October, up by 50% from September.ĭuring the first peak in late March and early April, the weekly positivity rate reached over 4% before dropping to a low of 0.4 percent in May. 30, 499,009 tests have been completed, according to the state health agency. “This very sensitive type of testing for a number of infectious diseases enables us to detect positive cases more rapidly and gives confidence in the results.”Īs of Oct. “It is important to test and identify all those persons infected with Covid-19, even asymptomatic ones, as they can unknowingly be transmitting the infection to other people. “Covid-19 can present with a variety of symptoms such as those seen with a cold or the flu, and patients can even have no symptoms,” Tjaden said. Jeffrey Tjaden, a Kalispell Regional infectious disease physician, said the molecular equipment helps expedite the testing process since it can test about 100 specimens at a time. Accurate and fast Covid-19 testing allows people to isolate themselves from others to prevent the spread of illness and seek care sooner if they have symptoms.ĭr. Mellody Sharpton, a spokesperson for Kalispell Regional Medical Center, said “like other hospitals across the state, Covid-19 has stretched our health care resources.”Īnd now, as a way to stem the tide of infections, the large health care organization has become the first in Montana to offer advanced testing for Covid-19 using an in-house molecular laboratory. The pandemic has caused a strain on Montana’s hospitals, a few of which are over 90% capacity, according to the CDC. The directive provided no mechanism for enforcement, and many Montana businesses that have tried to enforce a mask mandate have felt the rebuke of customers. The lawsuit originated from a July 15 executive order by Bullock, a Democrat who just finished a failed run for Senate, requiring businesses to post signs requesting customers to wear masks while indoors and to take reasonable measures to ensure compliance by customers and employees. The lawsuit by the public health agency sought an injunction against the businesses, but last week Flathead County District Court Judge Dan Wilson denied the request, finding the state lacks sufficient evidence that the businesses - two restaurants, a bar, a casino and a small convenience store - aren’t doing enough to encourage employees and the public to wear face coverings. 22 sued five businesses in Flathead County of northwest Montana - one of the state’s Covid-19 hotspots - for not enforcing Bullock’s mask mandate. Hoping to try to stem the tide of rising infections in Montana, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services on Oct. Part of the reason for the increase might be linked to Montanans’ lax approach to covering their faces in public. The largest increase of cases in Montana occurred in October, with 3,600 new cases reported during the first week and increasing to about 5,700 new reports in the last week of October, according to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services. From there, cases dropped through August before rising again in September. Since then, the number of cases has climbed to just over 47,000, according to the CDC.Īn early peak of Covid-19 infections occurred in late March. The state saw its first reported Covid-19 case March 11. 17, and has a rate of 100.6 infections per 100,000 people, according to the CDC, and a death toll of 520 during the pandemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ![]() Montana is now one of the top 10 states in the nation with per capita cases of Covid-19, according to the U.S. ![]()
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