10 More COVID-19 Cases Discovered In Valley County

Valley County added 10 more COVID-19 cases over the past week, resulting in the county having 23 positive COVID-19 cases, with eight active and 15 recovered, as of Aug. 10, at 4 p.m.

Case 14, which was announced on Aug. 6, is a male in his 50s, is not hospitalized and is isolating at home. The individual was a named contact to a previous identified positive case. The individual became symptomatic during his quarantine.

Case 15, which was also announced on Aug. 6, is a male in his 30s, is not hospitalized and is isolating at home. Exposure is suspected due to travel. The individual is symptomatic.

Case 16 through 18 were all announced on Aug. 8. Case 16 is a female in her 30s, is not hospitalized and is isolating at home. Suspected exposure is through community contact and the individual is symptomatic.

Case 17 is a female aged 10-19. She was a named contact to a previous identified positive case. The individual became symptomatic during her quarantine.

Case 18 is a male aged 10-19, who is not hospitalized and is isolating at home. Suspected exposure is through community contact and the individual is symptomatic.

Cases 19 through 23 were all announced on Aug. 10. Case 19 is a female in her 20s, who is not hospitalized and is isolating at home. The individual was named as a contact to a previous identified positive case and is symptomatic.

Case 20 is a male in his 30s, who is not hospitalized and is isolating at home. The individual was named as a contact to a previous identified positive case and is symptomatic.

Case 21 is a female in her 20s who is not hospitalized and is isolating at home. The individual is symptomatic and the investigation is ongoing.

Case 22 is a female in her 20s who is not hospitalized and is isolating at home. The individual is symptomatic and the investigation is ongoing.

Case 23 is a male in his 20s who is not hospitalized and is isolating at home. The individual is symptomatic and the investigation is ongoing.

Due to having more than four active cases, masks are mandatory in Valley County per the Governor’s directive that was issued in July 15, stating “all employees, contractors, volunteers, customers or other members of the public wear a face covering that covers their mouth and nose at all times while entering or remaining in any indoor spaces open to the public.”

In all cases, the Valley County Health Department has began contact tracing and after the announcement of case 18, they were notified of 10 contacts to the male, all between the ages of 10 to 19. “Please ensure that your children are wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines,” the Health Department stresses.

In order to continue to slow the spread of the virus in the community, healthcare providers and the Health Department are asking residents to practice social distancing, including limiting the number of close contacts, which means avoiding all gatherings where social distancing is difficult. They are also asking if you are not feeling well, particularly experiencing symptoms of a dry cough, fever, shortness of breath, headache and other cold-like symptoms to stay home, which includes not going to work, not attending regular activities and cancel or postpone appointments.

They also ask if you have been tested for COVID-19 for any reason, including preoperative testing, to stay home until test results are received, which includes not going to work, not attending regular activities and cancel or postpone appointments.

These five cases come at the heels of neighboring county, Phillips County, recording 45 active cases, as of Aug. 9. Phillips County was one of a handful of counties that had experienced zero cases up until Aug. 3, before recording their first five cases on Aug. 4.

Those who participated in the community surveillance testing that occurred on July 15 at the Northeastern Montana Fairgrounds and downtown Glasgow have seen a delay in receiving results. In a press release on Aug. 5, at the time of testing, results were predicted to be received within 14 to 20 days, however due to laboratories being overwhelmed with tests, a longer than anticipated processing time is occurring. Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital advises test results will be mailed out the day they are received and any positive results will promptly receive a phone call from the Valley County Health Department.