Health department confirms four additional deaths at care facility

The Flathead City-County Health Department on Friday confirmed four additional deaths related to an outbreak of COVID-19 at a long term care facility. That brings the total number of deaths associated with the facility to five.

The health department said no other details related to the deaths would be released, including the name of the facility, out of respect for the families.

“We extend our sympathies to all loved ones affected by these recent deaths,” said Tamalee St. James Robinson, Interim Health Officer of the Flathead City-County Health Department.

The total number of deaths related to COVID-19 in the county now totals eight.

Flathead County on Friday had recorded 557 total cases of COVID-19. There are 90 active cases in the county, according to the health department. There were 600 people being monitored, which includes all cases and contacts.

Flathead was the fourth highest county in the state for total number of cases.

There were eight hospitalizations and four of those are Flathead County residents.

Statewide there have been more than 7,000 confirmed cases of the virus, according to the state COVID-19 Task Force. There are about 1,790 active cases of the virus.

A total of 100 people have died as a result of COVID-19 in the state, as of Friday.

“We have reached a somber statistic in Montana: 100 deaths due to COVID-19. But the people we have lost are not statistics,” said. Gov. Steve Bullock in a release. “These men and women were beloved family members and cherished friends. And their loss will continue to reverberate throughout their families and communities – for so many Montanans, this virus has taken away Christmas dinner at Grandma’s, family history and cultural knowledge, or a best friend.”

For more information, visit the county health department website at https://flatheadhealth.org/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/.