As of Monday, February 8, 2021, Montana reports 95,914 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 111 new cases reported in the last day: 24 in Flathead County, 18 in Lewis & Clark County, 16 in Missoula County, 9 in Big Horn County, 9 in Yellowstone County, 7 in Cascade County, 7 in Lake County, and more new cases in 15 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 3,220. Statewide, 4,356 people have been hospitalized. Currently, 101 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Yellowstone, Flathead, Cascade, and Gallatin Counties. 1,314 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 463,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 27,000,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.
Republican Congressman Ron Wright of Texas has died of COVID-19. Wright had been admitted to Baylor Hospital in Dallas after contracting COVID-19. Wright is the first sitting member of Congress to die after contracting Covid. In December, Congressman-elect Luke Letlow died after being diagnosed with the disease. Wright tested positive for Covid-19 on January 21.
An employee in Montana Republican Governor Gianforte’s Office tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. The staff member had experienced mild symptoms Tuesday night and has not been in the office since. As a cautionary measure, the governor and staff members will be tested over the next three days. Gianforte had quarantined in the first week of the Legislature at the start of January due to a potential exposure related to the Capitol building but repeated testing did not return a positive result.
Another Montana state lawmaker has tested positive for COVID-19, marking the third case among legislators since the session started Jan. 4. Rep. Brian Putnam, a Kalispell Republican, felt mildly symptomatic Thursday night, was tested Friday and received his positive result Sunday morning. Putnam was last in the Capitol Thursday and was wearing a mask. He took part in the session remotely Friday and will continue to participate remotely. Close contacts have been notified and contact-tracing is occurring. The Legislature has hired its own contact tracer for the session. At least two other lawmakers have also tested positive this session. Two made their diagnoses public: Rep. David Bedey of Hamilton and Rep. Fiona Nave, of Columbus. Bedey also wore a mask in the Capitol, while Nave had been participating remotely when she tested positive. There were also two other cases among staff or lawmakers made public through an information request by the media.
A northwestern Montana man died after being caught in a weekend avalanche while snowmobiling in the Swan Range east of Kalispell.
Several snowmobilers were caught in a slide Saturday northeast of Wildcat Lake. A 60-year-old man from Kalispell was buried. His friends dug him out and tried CPR without success. They rode out and called 911 at about 3 p.m. Saturday. Severe weather prevented search and rescue teams from recovering the man’s body until Sunday. This was the first Montana avalanche death this season. It happened on the same day four backcountry skiers died in an avalanche in Utah. There have been 21 avalanche deaths in the US this winter, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.