Health department strained as COVID surges in Flathead

A surge in COVID-19 cases in Flathead County over the past week, which officials say can partially be attributed to Labor Day weekend activities, has strained the health department’s ability to relay case data to the state, perform contact tracing and other tasks associated with the new positives, a local health official said Thursday.

Lisa Dennison, infectious disease specialist for the Flathead City-County Health Department, told the Board of Health Flathead County has experienced an average of 20 to 30 new cases per day over the last week...