Around the state, there are ….
Around the state, there are 3,220 active cases. There are 101 active hospitalizations.
By Tuesday, Feb. 9, a total of 1,314 deaths have been reported statewide. A total of 91,380 people are listed as recovered.
Several health mandates for Montana put into effect by former Gov. Steve Bullock were removed by new Gov. Greg Gianforte Jan. 15.
Restaurants, bars, breweries, distilleries and casinos no longer have to close at 10 p.m. Gianforte encourages businesses to follow public health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, but the governor removed capacity limits for businesses.
Former Gov. Steve Bullock’s directive requires face masking in any indoor space, open to the public, is mandatory for people ages 5 years and older. For children 2-4 years of age, face coverings are strongly encouraged. A drape may be used for babies. The mask mandate in Montana stays in effect, at least, for now.
In an earlier press conference, Gianforte said he will be willing to repeal the mask mandate when vaccines are distributed to the vulnerable and relevant legislation crosses his desk involving incentives, rather than restrictions, for business owners. He said the guiding principals for moving forward will include protecting the vulnerable and creating incentives for business owners and other organizations.
County sheriffs and other law enforcement across the state have said that the mask mandate is not enforceable and violations should not be called into 911.
Flu Shots
Area health officials are stressing that flu shots are more important this year than ever because the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to keep the community safe, health officials offer advice and information on these two infections are related. COVID-19 and the flu are each highly contagious respiratory infections, but have some key differences. They are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is more infectious, and there is a vaccine to prevent the flu. There are some symptom similarities between the two, which may make it difficult to determine which illness you have if you are experiencing symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, vomiting and diarrhea. Flu can be a more mild illness than COVID-19, and COVID-19 symptoms also can include loss of taste or smell. It may be necessary to receive testing to determine which illness you are experiencing.
To get a flu shot, make an appointment with the Roosevelt County Health Department or make an appointment with your primary care provider.
Flu shots are available at the following locations: Roosevelt County Health Department, Chief Redstone IHS Clinic in Wolf Point, Verne E. Gibbs IHS Clinic in Poplar, Listerud Rural Health Clinic in Wolf Point, Riverside Clinic in Poplar and Roosevelt Medical Clinic in Culbertson.
Vaccines are covered by health insurance, Medicaid and Medicare. If you don’t have health insurance, call the health department for assistance at 653-6223.
Vaccine Info
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services’ dashboard features county by county breakdown as far as vaccination numbers.
In Roosevelt County, 1,188 total doses have been administered. There have been 216 fully immunizations.
As of Monday, Feb. 8, 140,070 total doses have been administered in Montana. There are 38,444 fully immunized Montanans. The map features such information as total doses administered, number of first doses administered, number of people fully immunized, doses administered per 1,000 people and eligible population to be vaccinated.
The dashboard can be found at https://www.arcgis. com/apps/MapSeries/ index.html?appid=7c-34f3412536439491adcc2103421d4b.
