Yellowstone County could once again face social restrictions if the number of cases of COVID-19 continues to climb, warned County Health Officer John Felton during a press conference this week. If the number of new COVID cases in Yellowstone County reaches 565 for any seven-day period, Felton said he will impose mandates that limit groups to 24 or less and restrict restaurants to 25 percent of capacity.
September recorded the highest number of cases – 1,336 — in Yellowstone County.
The curve needs to be flattened once again, say leaders of local hospitals, who report that the rising number of cases are straining health care facilities in Yellowstone County. In a letter, signed by more than 230 Montana health care providers, they credited early social restrictions and health protocols for keeping the number of hospitalizations manageable in the spring. The letter asked the public to resume preventive efforts, claiming the current surge in numbers is “more serious than it has ever been in our state.”
In September, 63 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized in Yellowstone County medical facilities.
On Monday, 96 people with COVID-19 were hospitalized in Yellowstone County; 28 in the intensive care units and 19 on ventilators. Indicative of Billings being a regional medical center, more than half the patients were from outside Yellowstone County, according to the county health department. Only 43 were residents of Yellowstone County.
Mandating stricter regulations includes limiting group gatherings to 25 people regardless of ability to social distance. Restaurants, bars, casinos and places of worship will be capped at 25 percent capacity, and businesses serving alcoholic beverages will have to close at 10 pm. (This could mean the total closure of businesses that do not have enough space to do a volume of business that covers the cost of remaining open at 25 percent capacity.)
Other restrictions would limit the duration of close interactions of six feet or less to 10 minutes, and to limit social interactions with non-household members to no more than six people per week.
Schools, which for the most part have been conducting in-school classes since opening day, are being governed by their own administrators with the guidance of the county health officer and will not be subject to the proposed restrictions. COVID cases in schools are closely monitored and have so far been minimal.
There are two parameters that would prompt Felton to re-impose the strict protocols:
–If new COVID-19 infections increase to 452 or higher over a 7-day period for the week ending Oct. 31, which is 40 cases per 100,000 population, Felton will issue a new order that will take effect Monday, November 2.
— Prior to October 31, if the number of new cases reaches 50 or more per 100,000 over seven days, or 565, then the restriction will go into effect immediately.
Over the last weeks in September, daily infection rates averaged 31, 32, and 36 per 100,000 population per day.
Felton urged residents to step up their efforts to curb infections by adhering more strictly to the public health guidance to socially distance from others, and by washing their hands, wearing masks in public places, avoiding large groups, and staying home from work or school if they feel sick.
All Halloween parties, events and trick- or-treating should be cancelled, he said.
Getting flu vaccination is important, too, said Felton, so as not to get the flu and COVID at the same time.
In September, 22 Yellowstone County residents died of COVID-19 related illness, compared with 18 residents in August.
On Monday, Yellowstone County had 1,164 people actively infected with COVID-19. October 2 marked the first time there were more than 1,000 active COVID-19 infections.
A total of 3,645 Yellowstone County residents have been infected since the pandemic arrived in March.
In September, there were 1,042 case investigations in Yellowstone County. As of Monday, there were 77 cases that have yet to be assigned due to the high caseload and limited health department staff. With the high volume of cases, it takes about 72 hours to make the first phone call after the health department receives notice of a positive test result.
RiverStone Health (county health department) contact tracers report noted the following:
–78% of people who tested positive have agreed to complete the case investigation.
–Of those who agreed to investigation, 92% had symptoms of COVID-19.
–22% became infected through a known household contact.
–31% became infected through a known non-household contact.
–47% could not identify how they became infected.
