(RiverStone Health Press Release)
BILLINGS - Through data reconciliation, RiverStone Health was notified that COVID-19 has claimed the life of a third Yellowstone County resident in July. This most recent death brings the pandemic toll to 278 county residents’ lives lost since April 2020, with 67 deaths occurring since the beginning of the year.
A woman in her 90s died Saturday, July 3, in a senior living facility. She was fully vaccinated against the pandemic virus.
“I offer my sincere sympathy to the deceased’s loved ones and friends and hope that they are comforted by memories of happier times,” said John Felton, Yellowstone County health officer, and president and CEO of RiverStone Health.
“Although the vaccines available to prevent COVID-19 are safe and highly effective, this most recent death of a community member underscores the need for all eligible residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Felton. “Some of our friends and neighbors are elderly, immunocompromised or have underlying health conditions that even though they may be vaccinated, they do not experience as high of a rate of protection against the virus as healthy younger individuals. We need to come together as a community to protect those most vulnerable to COVID-19 by getting vaccinated.”
Less than 50% of our county’s eligible population is vaccinated against COVID-19, and with new and potentially dangerous variants, like the Delta variant, it is more important than ever for everyone age 12 and older to be vaccinated.
RiverStone Health and many local pharmacies and medical clinics offer COVID-19 vaccines. Go to covid.riverstonehealth.org for a list of upcoming RiverStone Health vaccination clinics.