BILLINGS - Yellowstone County has reached 400 deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including six deaths reported Monday, according to RiverStone Health.
Five patients died in Billings hospitals this past weekend:
· A man in his 80s died on Oct. 23. He was unvaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
· A man in his 80s died on Oct. 23. He was vaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
· A man in his 70s died on Oct. 23. He was unvaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
· A woman in her 70s died on Oct. 24. She was unvaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
· A man in his 60s died on Oct. 24. He was unvaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
The sixth death reported Monday was identified through death certificate review at the Yellowstone County Clerk and Recorder’s office:
· A man in his 90s died on Oct. 7 at a local long-term care facility. He was vaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
On Monday, Billings Clinic and St. Vincent Healthcare were caring for 139 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including 107 who weren’t vaccinated, the health agency said in a press release. Forty-seven COVID-19 patients were in ICU and 25 were on ventilators. Statewide, Montana hospitals had 447 COVID-19 inpatients Monday, according to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.
“As we offer condolences to the families and friends of our neighbors whose lives have been cut short by COVID-19 illness, Yellowstone County continues to lead the state with the highest number of new cases, active cases and total deaths from this virus,” said John Felton, Yellowstone County health officer and RiverStone Health president and CEO. “Yet our county slightly trails the state average for people over age 12 getting safe and effective vaccinations. Please get vaccinated and encourage everyone you love to get vaccinated at your local pharmacy or medical clinic.”
RiverStone Health is offering first and second doses of Pfizer vaccine to people age 12 and older. First and second doses of Moderna and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are available to people 18 and older. Third doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are available to immune-compromised people.
RiverStone Health also offers booster shots of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Free, walk-in clinics for boosters, first and second doses will be held:
· Wednesday, noon to 2 p.m., Billings Public Library Community Room.
· Nov. 4, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., RiverStone Health, 123 S. 27th St., in the four-story building.
A limited number of vaccination appointments are available from the RiverStone Health Immunization Clinic, phone 406.247.3382. More vaccination information is posted at covid.riverstonehealth.org.
Drive-through testing
RiverStone Health and St. Vincent Healthcare continue to offer free drive-through COVID-19 tests from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays at St. Vincent Healthcare parking lot M, at North 28th Street and 11th Avenue North. The test site is closed from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. daily for staff lunch break. Tests are available to people age five and older who have symptoms of COVID-19 or had close contact with a person who tested positive. St. Vincent Healthcare will provide lab results to those tested within 48 hours.
Please be aware that this outdoor test site may close during inclement weather.