Details emerge about local positive COVID-19 cases

One physician with Kalispell Regional Healthcare and an Illinois resident are currently in self-isolation in Flathead County after testing positive for coronavirus on Friday, according to local health-care leaders.

The physician is in his 30s and according to Dr. Jeffrey Tjaden, an infectious disease specialist with the hospital, the man had traveled alone out-of-state by car from March 11 through March 13. He did not travel to a high-risk area.

According to Tjaden, it is believed the physician made contact with 14 patients and nine other health-care workers before being asked to leave and self-isolate.

The patients and staff have all been notified and employees were sent home to begin quarantine.

“We contacted everyone that may have been considered a close contact,” Tjaden said during a press call on Saturday morning. “As soon as we were notified of the positive test result we began intervention with our own employees.”

The physician had returned to work after his travels and was “feeling fine,” but on Monday afternoon noted he had a sore throat and relayed this information to hospital leadership.

According to Tjaden, no COVID-19 testing was performed at the time because the physician did not meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. He was not showing other symptoms such as a fever or respiratory complications.

The man worked on Tuesday and part of Wednesday as well before being sent home. He was screened both days at the hospital prior to work and his temperature was taken regularly throughout his shifts, but according to Tjaden, the man was still showing no other symptoms during those days. The physician tested positive soon after going into isolation on Wednesday.

Hospital officials did not provide specifics as to which department the physician worked in, and did not provide more information as to where he traveled.

As of Tuesday, Kalispell Regional is requiring all staff who travel outside Flathead County and surrounding counties to quarantine for two weeks upon their return. The physician had returned from his trip before this mandatory rule went into effect.

The extent of contact the physician could have made with individuals is still under investigation, but according to Kalispell Regional Chief Medical Officer Doug Nelson, every area of the hospital he would have come in contact with has been sanitized thoroughly.

Although there are now two positive cases in Flathead County, there is “no indication that there is a person-to-person transmission in the community,” Nelson said.

“This [positive test in the physician] doesn’t change how we are acting, how we are treating patients, how we are treating employees,” Nelson said. He added the hospital has had various protocols in place for some time in preparation for the coronavirus outbreak.

As for the Illinois resident, Flathead County Public Health Officer Hillary Hanson, who is the incident commander for coronavirus in the county, said the man had not been feeling well and had been in self-isolation since he was tested and screened at a local screening station. The man is in his 50s and has been advised not to travel.

Because he is an out-of-state resident, his case will not be added to Montana’s state tally of positive cases, Hanson said.

According to hospital officials, as of Saturday morning more than 100 swab samples from Flathead County had been sent into the state’s testing facility in Helena. The majority have come back negative, but officials are waiting on more results which, on average, takes 24 to 48 hours.

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