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COVID-19

Hospitalizations in Flathead County Nearing Delta Surge Numbers

Logan Health had 51 people hospitalized as of Monday morning

By Mike Kordenbrock
Clinical personnel enters a sectioned-off area of Kalispell Regional Medical Center dedicated to active COVID-19 patients on July 31, 2020. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Flathead County have reached levels not seen since the delta-variant surge last fall, according to Health Officer Joe Russell.

The omicron variant is thought to generally cause less severe illness than its predecessor, but it is spreading rapidly in Flathead County. As of Friday, Jan. 21, the county had more than 3,000 active cases of COVID-19.

The state COVID-19 dashboard on Monday showed the county with 1,045 active cases, which Russell said was “dead wrong.”

Previously, county hospitalizations peaked in early November with an average daily hospital census of 60 COVID-19 patients. On Monday morning, Logan Health had 51 people hospitalized due to COVID-19, including 28 unvaccinated patients. Of those hospitalized, seven patients were hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) and four were on ventilators. Only one person receiving ICU care is vaccinated.

For context, one week prior, on Jan. 17, Logan had 35 COVID-19 patients and was operating with more than 90% of its beds occupied, according to a hospital occupancy and capacity snapshot report from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS).

“Delta was a very virulent pathogen of COVID-19. Omicron is not, but there’s so many more cases that I think that’s why we’re starting to see hospitalizations climb up there,” Russell said. “I think it’s just so much more transmissible. We’re gonna see more hospitalizations based on the fact that there’s more people sick and we still have people that are highly susceptible.”

The Flathead City-County Health Department remained without any COVID-19 tests Monday, but Russell said he received word the state had received a shipment. The last time the county health department had an inventory of COVID-19 tests to distribute was Jan. 7. The health department could receive around 5,000 test kits by mid-week. Information about test availability will be forthcoming this week, according to Russell. 

“We’ll start distributing [the tests] immediately,” Russell said.

Statewide, a combined 5,057 new cases were reported Monday. Those cases represent reporting from Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Montana. The new update from the state added another nine COVID-19 deaths, which were reported out of Cascade, Gallatin, Glacier, Lewis and Clark, Missoula, and Ravalli counties between November and January. Flathead County has reported a total of 228 COVID-19 deaths out of 23,406 cases.

The COVID-19 vaccination rate in Flathead County remained unchanged Monday from its last increase in late December when 44% of eligible residents were considered fully vaccinated.