COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Continue Spiking in Flathead County
Health officials say virus is spreading among unvaccinated population; Logan Health reported 17 hospitalizations on July 26
By Myers Reece
Flathead County had over 230 active COVID-19 cases on Monday, more than twice as many as the next closest county in Montana, and the county’s two-week rolling daily case average is its highest since late February and early March, a trend that is alarming local health officials.
The county reported 36 and 37 cases on July 22 and 23, respectively, the most in the state each day. The county then reported 36 new cases again on Monday. Until a few weeks ago, the county had regularly reported single-digit new daily caseloads before the dramatic recent increase.
The average number of local hospitalizations in the last two weeks is twice as high as preceding weeks, with 17 hospitalizations reported July 26. Statewide hospitalizations have also spiked in recent weeks, registering at 90 on Monday, along with 890 active cases.
Logan Health’s COVID hospitalization count had typically hovered between four and nine for months before spiking the last two weeks.
Across the nation and state, areas with low vaccination rates, like Flathead County, are registering higher increases in cases and hospitalizations. Health officials said the catalyst for the recent spike, at least initially, was events and gatherings, with most of the spread occurring among unvaccinated people.
Flathead County has the lowest vaccination rate among Montana’s most populated counties, with 39% of its eligible population fully immunized as of July 26. Missoula leads the state with 61% of its eligible population fully immunized.
“Really the greatest prevention method we have is vaccination,” Flathead Health Officer Joe Russell said recently. “I would encourage people to get vaccinated. There are very few breakthrough cases. That means the vaccine is working.”
A Logan Health spokesperson said roughly 90% of the hospital’s COVID patients are unvaccinated, while Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said earlier this month that 97% of COVID hospitalizations nationwide involved unvaccinated people. Walensky also noted that 99.5% of those who had recently died of COVID-19 were unvaccinated.
As of Monday, 1,695 Montanans have died due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
Amid the recent surge in local cases, health officials have asked the public to “make responsible choices and to take all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
For more information on how to receive a COVID-19 vaccine locally, visit flatheadhealth.org/covid-19-vaccine or vaccinefinder.org. The local vaccine line is (406) 751-8119.