Fall COVID-19 surge continues
The number of active COVID-19 cases in Lake County has been spiking in recent weeks, and the frequency of cases among young people is rising as well.
Officials at Lake County Public Health reported 145 new cases had been identified between Sept. 17-20, for a total of 361 active cases in the county, 11 of which required hospitalization.
On Sept. 14 the department reported 28.9% of active cases at the time were among those age 18 and younger. That same day the county’s 46th death related to the pandemic was announced. Almost all Lake County deaths have been among people age 60 or older, with a few in their 50s. A 47th death was announced Tuesday. The latest was a male in his 40s, the county’s youngest pandemic-related fatality.
The number of active cases had plummeted from spring to mid-July, when Lake County had fewer than 10 cases and no hospitalizations for a short time.
The most recent county report to indicate how many cases were among people who are fully vaccinated was Sept. 15, when data showed 61 of 267 patients were fully vaccinated and one of seven hospitalized patients was vaccinated.
While the county does not frequently break down new cases by age, the state’s daily reports do. Last winter and spring the state reports included very few cases among children and young adults. That has changed recently, however.
Monday’s report, for example, showed 1,619 new cases across the state with 109 in Lake County. Those numbers were for three days from the previous Friday. Of those 109 Lake County cases, 11 were among kids age 0-9, 28 were among those age 10-19 and nine were among people in their 20s. Those three age groups accounted for 44 percent of new cases over the weekend, according to state data.
Tuesday’s state report listed 13 new cases in Lake County, with all but two among those age 29 or younger.
Tuesday morning the Polson School District was reporting 59 new cases among students in the past seven days across its four schools. Just one new case among staff members was reported for the same period. Cumulative data show a total of 80 cases among students and nine among staff members for the new school year, with Polson High School and Polson Middle School leading the way with 27 student cases each. Twenty-six of the 27 middle school cases were identified in the last seven days.
The uptick prompted new Superintendent Mike Cutler to issue a message asking students and staff to “strongly consider” wearing masks at the district’s facilities.
“As a result of COVID positive numbers rising in our county, town, and school community, and as our absences continue to climb due to numerous factors, we ask you to continue to self-monitor your children’s health and keep them home if they exhibit any symptoms of COVID-19,” Cutler said in a message on the district’s website. “We want to do what we can as a school district to slow down the spread of COVID.”
The Arlee School District cancelled multiple athletic events recently, including the Sept. 11 home football game against Victor. A message on the district’s Facebook page said the cancellation was “due to a number of close contacts at the high school involving football players.”
The most recent report from Arlee, issued Sept. 17, showed 12 student cases and no staff cases across the district’s three schools. Six of the student cases were at the high school and 19 students were under quarantine.
On Monday, Charlo Superintendent Steve Love said his district had “no staff out due to COVID-19” and “no students out due to COVID-19 at the moment so far as we know.”
On Sept. 17 the St. Ignatius School District reported six student cases, three each at the high school and middle school, and one case involving a district staff member.
Ronan’s most recent report, also issued Sept. 17, indicates there are 13 cases across the entire district, all among students. No school has more than three active cases, according to the district.
On Tuesday the state was reporting 9,976 active cases and 142,513 cumulative cases with a total of 1,901 deaths related to the pandemic. Montana’s statewide vaccination rate is about 52%, while about 58% of eligible Lake County residents are vaccinated.