Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – The COVID-19 pandemic officially ended on May 5, 2023, after the World Health Organization declared the end of the public health emergency.
However, according to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, COVID is still very much present among us, based on recent peak numbers.
KGVO spoke with Trisha Gardner, an immunization supervisor, and Samantha Saycich, a communicable disease epidemiologist at DPHHS, on Thursday about Montana’s recent highs.
“We’re averaging about 39 new hospital admissions a week due to COVID-19; 171 emergency department visits a week and about four deaths a week and these numbers are from October 1 through December 16,” began Saycich. “So, this is most recent as of Saturday so, these are recent numbers and I think it does show the burden of COVID-19 in Montana.”
Saycich said the state Department of Health issued an alert urging more vaccinations across the state.
“We did just put out a Health Alert Network, and those are called HANs, terms that can be used interchangeably but we did just put out some messaging about an urgent need to increase immunization coverage for respiratory disease,” she said. “So this would be for COVID-19, for influenza, and for RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). These are the three most common conditions we see during respiratory seasons. So that’s from about October 1 through the first week of June every year.”
At the time of the COVID pandemic, when a user tested positive, they had to follow isolation procedures, which are still in place today.
“For the first five full days, you’ll be isolated at home and away from others,” he said. “You’ll need to avoid shared spaces like kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Avoid sharing sheets like bath towels, and then avoid sharing other non-public items. That’s our golden rule for all communicable diseases. If you have a fever, stay away from others until it is gone for at least 24 hours without fever medicine.
Montana DPHHS plans to introduce a new online dashboard that tracks the number of COVID, flu and RSV cases in the coming days so Montanans can be better informed about respiratory illnesses in the state.
Gallery Credit: Stéphanie Parker
According to Montana Department of Health and Human Services officials, COVID is with us. n
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Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – The COVID-19 pandemic officially ended on May 5, 2023, after the World Health Organization declared an end to the Global Public Health Emergency.
However, according to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, COVID is still very much present among us, based on recent peak numbers.
KGVO spoke with Trisha Gardner, an immunization supervisor, and Samantha Saycich, a communicable disease epidemiologist at DPHHS, on Thursday about Montana’s recent highs.
“We are averaging about 39 new hospital admissions per week due to COVID-19; 171 emergency room visits per week and about 4 deaths per week and those numbers are from Oct. 1 to Dec. 16,” Saycich began. those are Saturday’s recent peak numbers, so those are recent numbers and they show the burden of COVID-19 in Montana. “
Saycich said the state Department of Health issued an alert urging more vaccinations across the state.
“We have just created a fitness alert network, called HAN, terms that can be used interchangeably, but we have just published messages about the urgent need to develop a vaccination policy against respiratory diseases,” he said. “This is what it would be like for COVID-19, for the flu, and for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). These are the three most common respiratory seasons that we see. So this goes from October 1 to the first week of June each year . »
During the time of the COVID pandemic, when a user tested positive, they were required to adhere to isolation procedures, which are still strict today.
“For the first full five days, you will be isolated at home and away from others,” he said. “You will need to avoid shared spaces like kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Avoid sharing sheets like bath towels, and then avoid sharing other non-public items. That’s our golden rule for all communicable diseases. If you have a fever, stay away from others until it goes away for at least 24 hours without fever medications.
Montana DPHHS plans to introduce a new dashboard that tracks the number of COVID, flu and RSV cases in the coming days so Montanans can be better informed about the status of respiratory illnesses in the state.