Montana sees 242% change in COVID-19 numbers in 2 weeks

MISSOULA, Mont. — We’re digging into the 109 new cases of COVID-19 announced in Montana Tuesday morning. 44 out of 56 Montana counties can say COVID-19 has hit their community.

Sanders County added three new cases, their first confirmed. Wibaux and Sweet Grass counties also added their first cases.

Lake County added 27 new cases overnight. Seventeen of these are in people under the age of 40. Lake County now has the third highest number of active cases in the state, behind Yellowstone and Gallatin counties.

There are two new deaths reported in Yellowstone County, one from the Canyon Creek Memory Care facility, where a cluster turned into 91 positive cases and several deaths. Another Yellowstone County woman in her 80s who passed away lived at a different long-term care facility in Billings.

A new NBC map and chart shows Montana saw a 242% change in cases in the past two weeks and 770% in the last four weeks. That’s the highest percentage in the nation behind the U.S. Virgin Islands.

We reached out to Gov. Steve Bullock’s office for comment on the increase.

“We are certainly concerned about the increase in cases Montana has seen in past weeks and continue to evaluate all options to slow the spread,” Marissa Perry with the governor’s office said. “This highlights that what we have been asking of Montanans and visitors is effective if followed: avoid large gatherings and social distance, engage in good hygiene, and wear a mask or face covering when in public spaces. It is worth noting that since we had relatively low numbers to begin with, any surge is going to make for a larger percentage increase in cases.”

Flathead County added nine new cases and say many of their latest cases are from workplaces or people who have frequented bars and restaurants. They also report people giving much longer lists of close contacts that need to be monitored.

We also continue to monitor the amount of visitors testing positive in Montana. Monday that number was 99 and Tuesday it hit 128.