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Montana reports daily record of 1,063 new COVID cases

by Associated Press
| October 30, 2020 1:00 PM

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana reported a daily record of 1,063 new cases of COVID-19 and 27 more deaths on Friday as it kept pace with the national surge of infections.

Since the pandemic began, the state has confirmed nearly 32,000 cases of the respiratory virus and at least 364 deaths. Nearly 360 people remain hospitalized, health officials said.

The state's previous one-day high was 924 cases reported on Oct. 21.

The 27 deaths reported Friday included 11 in Roosevelt County and four in Yellowstone County. Total deaths are split about evenly among those that happened within the past two weeks and deaths that happened over the past month but hadn't been reported yet, Department of Public Health and Human Services spokesman Jon Ebelt said.

Yellowstone County's deaths included three that occurred at a senior living facilities between Sept. 22 and Oct. 13, county health officials said.

Montana has confirmed 5,462 cases in the past seven days, or an average of 779 a day. The number of new infections is not known because not everyone is tested and people can have COVID-19 without having symptoms.

Medical providers and COVID-19 survivors have been urging residents to wear masks to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Hospital workers have said their resources are strained and the state health department is seeking court orders to get five businesses in Flathead County to comply with mask mandates.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.