According to a release from RiverStone Health, the county's public health department, a woman in her 50s passed away Friday in a Yellowstone County hostpital due to COVID-19 related illness. It's the 47th COVID-19 related death in Yellowstone County.
“I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of this Yellowstone County resident who lost her life to this highly contagious new disease,” said John Felton, Yellowstone County health officer and RiverStone Health president and CEO.
“The terrible loss of life reminds us to be vigilant against this virus,” Felton said. “As we start the Labor Day holiday weekend, please remember to keep your distance (at least six feet) from people not in your household, wear a face covering when you are in public indoor spaces, wash your hands frequently and stay home if you feel ill.”
Fourteen Yellowstone County residents passed away in the month of August and the number of COVID-19 cases doubled. Statistics for the first few days of September are trending worse, according to RiverStone Health.
To date, 2,239 Yellowstone County residents have been infected with COVID-19 and 47 have died.
“We don’t want to turn the joy of a holiday gathering into tragedy. It is critical that each one of us does our part to make sure that COVID-19 does not infect more Yellowstone County residents this holiday weekend,” Felton said.