As of Monday, October 19, 2020, Montana reports 23,390 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 569 new cases reported in the last day: 111 in Yellowstone County, 76 in Cascade County, 62 in Missoula County, 52 in Flathead County, 43 in Gallatin County, 30 in Lewis & Clark County, 24 in Lake County, 22 in Blaine County, 16 in Richland and in Valley County, 13 in Ravalli County, 11 new cases in Hill and Roosevelt Counties, and more new cases in 25 more Montana counties. Statewide, 1,020 people have been hospitalized, and 339 people are currently being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. There are 9,611 active coronavirus cases in Montana. The most active cases are in Yellowstone, Flathead and Glacier, Missoula, Cascade, and Gallatin Counties. 241 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 220,000 Americans have died. There have been 8,190,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

For several weeks Montana has now ranked among the worst states in the nation in new coronavirus cases per 100,000 population and the second-highest national test positivity rate for COVID-19. Healthcare providers and other officials in the state have warned of a growing crisis in the state. Dr. Bridget Brennan, the chief medical officer with Benefis Health Systems in Great Falls said that “the number of positive COVID cases is rising so quickly that it is threatening to overwhelm the health care resources here in the state.”

The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation has seen a staggering number of COVID-19 cases and deaths among its members. While the rest of the state grapples with possible lockdown orders from local health officers, hospitals congested with patients and strained medical staff and resources, the Northern Cheyenne have already seen the worst of what the pandemic can do. Rosebud County, where the majority of the reservation sits, has tallied more than 700 cases of COVID-19 and 20 deaths since the virus reached Montana in March. Neighboring Big Horn County has reported more than 1,000 cases and 32 deaths. Of the total number of coronavirus deaths in Montana, to date, 240, more than 10% have been members of the Northern Cheyenne tribe. Coronavirus’ particularly devastating impact in Indian Country is amplified for the members of tribes and nations throughout the United States because their own ethnicity is a risk factor for COVID-19. A morbidity and mortality study released by the CDC in August showed that despite comprising just 0.7% of the U.S. population, Indigenous people had a COVID-19 infection rate nearly three times that of white people. And they’re more than five times more likely to end up in a hospital. In Montana, almost 3,000 Indigenous people have tested positive for COVID-19, about 14% of overall cases. Indigenous people in Montana account for about 7% of the population.

The Health Department needs volunteers to help with delivering food, medications, and supplies to people under quarantine for COVID-19. A few hours of your time can make a big difference for our community. Please consider signing up to help! You can go to www.volunteermt.org . Click on the COVID-19 Coordinated Community Response. That’ll list all the community needs. Your help with any is greatly appreciated. We’re all in this together! Thanks for your help, Gallatin Valley!