Flathead County sees more than 300 total cases

Montana’s COVID-19 Task Force reported more than two dozen new cases in Flathead County Thursday morning, pushing the county’s cumulative case count past 300 as the area, along with much of the state, continues to experience an upswing in positive cases.

Of Flathead County’s now 301 total positives, about 70 are considered active. Yellowstone County had the most active cases as of Thursday at 611, followed by Big Horn County at 244.

The state has performed about 185,000 tests to date. About 2.5% of individuals have tested positive, though many health experts estimate there are likely more positive cases than are being reported, which is due to a lack of testing capabilities and a lack of people seeking testing, among other reasons.

According to the Flathead City-County Health Department website, employees are currently monitoring about 550 individuals, which includes all cases and close contacts in Flathead County. The COVID-19 call line at the health department has been receiving right around 80 to 100 calls a day over the past week.

The data also shows Flathead County is experiencing an uptick in cases among those ages 20 to 39. This is a trend occurring across much of the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Local hospitalization numbers are hovering around 10 patients daily, give or take. Although the numbers fluctuate daily, a portion of those hospitalized are usually patients from outside of Flathead County.

Both the state and Flathead County release daily reports on COVID-19 cases, but it is important to note there is a sizable lag in turnaround time for asymptomatic testing results of about 14 days.

For up-to-date information on COVID-19 cases in Flathead County, go to the health department’s website at https://flatheadhealth.org/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/. Local staff may be alerted to additional cases before the state health department, therefore, numbers of new cases reported locally and by the state may differ.

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com