MADISON COUNTY — In a press release obtained by MTN News, Madison County officials have confirmed the death of a Madison County resident who had tested positive for Covid-19.
"Regrettably yesterday evening (Saturday, Mar. 28, 2020), one of our Madison county residents lost their battle against the Covid-19 virus. We hope that this is the last life that will be lost against this invisible enemy."
No other details were provided at this time.
The press release states that Melissa Brummell, the public health director with Madison County Public Health confirmed the fourth case of Covid-19 in Madison Co. Madison County has had 44 test results returned with four testing positive as of today.
Governor Steve Bullock today issued the following statement regarding the 2nd death of a Montanan to COVID-19 in the state.
“I’m saddened to hear that a second Montanan has died from COVID-19. No matter in which community we live, the impact of each loss of life has a ripple effect all throughout the state and serves as a reminder of how serious this disease is. Our hearts go out to the family, friends, and community of this Montanan.”
Notification of the death was provided by the Madison County Public Health Department today and confirmed by the Governor’s Coronavirus Task Force.
According to the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map , Montana confirms at least 160 cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday afternoon.
The previously reported total Sunday morning was 154.
Gallatin County cases raised to at least 62.
As of 4:30 pm the state's total was 161 cases. This number may be rise as counties report their case load to state.
Total New Cases 3/29/2020:
Flathead: 1
Gallatin: 4
Lake: 1
Lincoln: 1
Total Cases by County
Gallatin County - 62 Cases
Yellowstone County - 26 Cases
Missoula County - 11 Cases
Lewis and Clark County - 10 Cases
Silver Bow County - 9 Cases
Flathead County - 8 Cases
Cascade County - 7 Cases
Toole County - 5 Cases
Madison County - 4 Cases
Lincoln County - 4 Cases
Broadwater County - 3 Cases
Lake County - 3 Cases
Park County - 2 Cases
Jefferson County - 2 Cases
Deer Lodge County - 1 Cases
Ravalli County - 1 Cases
Meagher County - 1 Cases
Roosevelt County - 1 Cases
Hill County - 1 Cases
Gov. Steve Bullock confirmed the first death due to COVID-19 in Montana Thursday night. The person who died was confirmed as a 77-year old Lincoln County man on Friday.
No data has been provided yet about number of recovered cases.
Montana is currently under a "stay at home" order due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Public health officials know that the number of cases is likely substantially higher than the number of confirmed cases. As of Saturday morning, the public health laboratory in Helena has completed 3,841 tests.
The "recovery rate" for Montana has not yet been determined, as COVID-19 is still relatively new in our state and there is not enough data to calculate an accurate rate at this point.
- NOTE: Some confirmed cases are being re-assigned to other counties - for instance, a Glacier County case was re-assigned to Toole County, because the patient was tested and treated in Glacier County (Cut Bank), but actually lives in Toole County. That has happened in several cases. We know that it can be confusing - we are trying to keep things as accurate as possible as the situation changes.
"STAY HOME" ORDER: Governor Steve Bullock on Thursday afternoon issued a directive requiring Montanans to stay home and temporarily closes all nonessential businesses and operations as efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) continue. The order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, March 28. Click here for complete details .
The order will be in effect through Friday, April 10, and requires all businesses and operations in Montana, except for essential businesses and operations as defined in the directive, to stop all activities within the state. The Directive also prohibits all public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a household or place of residence. The order does not prohibit restaurants from continuing to offer take-out, curb-side, and delivery service.
Employees who are not sure if they are considered essential should talk with their manager/business owner. Business owners with questions can call at 1-800-755-6672 and leave messages 24-hours a day and will receive a prompt response, according to Bullock. *CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL TEXT OF THE DIRECTIVE*