On Saturday, November 7, Ravalli County Public Health officials announced the deaths of three Ravalli County residents due to complications of COVID-19. This makes a total of eight deaths in the county so far related to COVID-19. The newest deaths included a female in her 80’s, a male in his 80’s and a male in his 60’s.
“We urge county residents to follow the best practice guidelines to help reduce the spread of COVID-19,” stated the special release. “In recent weeks we have seen the number of those infected with the virus jump dramatically. Public health has strived to meet the needs of so many. We have brought on additional professional staff to contact trace and guide residents through these uncertain times. We recommend residents keep their cohort circles small. Practice physical distancing whenever possible. Wear a mask in public when physical distancing is difficult to maintain. Frequent hand washing and sanitizing when hand washing is unavailable. Most importantly remembering that our community needs ‘U’ and ‘I’ to make good choices.”
If you have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 or have general questions or concerns, you are urged to visit the Ravalli County webpage at https://ravalli.us/ and click on the COVID-19 Alert Bar. There you can find helpful links to information about COVID, daily press releases and “Close Contact” instructions.
The numbers of active cases in the county also continues to increase dramatically. On Monday, November 9, local public health officials reported 67 new cases of COVID-19 (including weekend figures), bringing Ravalli County to a total of 429 active cases, with 11 active cases hospitalized.
The press release also noted that “the Public Health Office has a limited ability to track hospitalizations outside of county jurisdiction. Due to increasing stress on hospitals from new cases of COVID-19, when patients are discharged or transferred from one hospital to another, Public Health is not always notified and able to report these changes in a timely manner.”
Valley schools are continuing to have cases show up, with Stevensville Schools switching to distance learning only on Tuesday, November 10. The Bitterroot Public Library in Hamilton is also currently closed due to a staff member testing positive for COVID-19.