According to the Montana Response COVID-19 tracking map, Montana confirms at least 171 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday morning.
The previously reported total Sunday evening was 161.
Gallatin County added at least 5 new cases for a total of 67 cases at 7:48 a.m. Monday, March 30, 2020.
These numbers may rise as more counties report their caseloads to state officials.
Gov. Steve Bullock confirmed the first death in Montana due to COVID-19 on Thursday night. The person who died was confirmed as a 77-year-old Lincol County man on Friday.
A second death was reported Sunday when a Madison County resident who had tested positive for Covid-19 died on Saturday, Mar. 28, 2020.
No data has been provided yet about number of recovered cases.
Montana is currently under a "stay-at-home" order due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Public health officials know that the number of cases is likely substantially higher than the number of confirmed cases. As of Saturday morning, the public health laboratory in Helena has completed 3,841 tests.
The "recovery rate" for Montana has not yet been determined, as COVID-19 is still relatively new in our state and there is not enough data to calculate an accurate rate at this point.
- NOTE: Some confirmed cases are being re-assigned to other counties - for instance, a Glacier County case was re-assigned to Toole County, because the patient was tested and treated in Glacier County (Cut Bank), but actually lives in Toole County. That has happened in several cases. We know that it can be confusing - we are trying to keep things as accurate as possible as the situation changes.
"STAY HOME" ORDER: Governor Steve Bullock on Thursday afternoon issued a directive requiring Montanans to stay home and temporarily closes all nonessential businesses and operations as efforts to curtail the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) continue. The order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, March 28. Click here for complete details.
The order will be in effect through Friday, April 10, and requires all businesses and operations in Montana, except for essential businesses and operations as defined in the directive, to stop all activities within the state. The Directive also prohibits all public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a household or place of residence. The order does not prohibit restaurants from continuing to offer take-out, curb-side, and delivery service.
Employees who are not sure if they are considered essential should talk with their manager/business owner. Business owners with questions can call at 1-800-755-6672 and leave messages 24-hours a day and will receive a prompt response, according to Bullock. *CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL TEXT OF THE DIRECTIVE*
