Big Horn County focusing on contact tracing after COVID-19 cases double
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After seeing its COVID-19 cases double Thursday night, Big Horn County is working to track down all the people who came into contact with the four new patients, according to a press release Friday.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Big Horn County doubled Thursday evening, according to a Big Horn County official.
The new cases are in two teen girls, one teen boy and one man in his 30s, according to a Friday morning press release from Rhonda Johnson, public information officer for Big Horn County.
The four new cases brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Big Horn County to eight. Six are active, and seven are pending lab results. About 225 county residents have been tested for the virus, Johnson said. Two of the earlier confirmed-positive patients have recovered, according to the release; the remaining six patients are quarantining and recovering at home.
The four existing cases were two women in their 20s, a man in his 40s and a woman in her 50s.
The Indian Health Service is leading contact tracing efforts for these new cases, with help from the county. The procedure involves notifying all close contacts of the patents, interviewing them, and instructing them on further action if it’s needed.
Contact tracing is considered one of the best ways to prevent COVID-19 spread. Those who think they may have come into contact with a COVID-19 patient for more that five minutes recently are asked to call IHS Public Health at 406-638-3478 or Big Horn County Public Health at 406-665-8720.
Big Horn County’s Board of Commissioners anticipated more cases in the county, but that doesn’t make seeing the virus spread any easier, Chairman George Real Bird III said in a press release.
“It is a stark reminder that COVID-19 can happen anywhere at any time to anyone,” he said.
Real Bird further asked Big Horn County residents to cooperate with public health in their efforts to slow the spread of the virus, according to the release.
Because the availability of testing supplies remains limited in Big Horn County, those who haven’t been identified as a possible COVID-19 contact and who are not sick should not seek coronavirus testing, the release says. Those who are sick or have symptoms related to COVID-19 (such as a fever, cough, or difficulty breathing) are asked to call their health care provider for advice.
Those who have contracted COVID-19 can take up to two weeks to show symptoms, and some can carry and spread the disease without showing showing any symptoms. Because of this, officials reminded residents to do the following to prevent the disease’s spread:
- Stay home.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and often.
- Clean and sanitize frequently touched surfaces and items.
- Wear a mask when in public.
- Stay at least 6 feet away from other people.
- Avoid travel out of the county if at all possible.
Those who are feeling sick should not go to work or leave their homes. Instead, contact your health care provider for guidance.
Parts of the Crow Indian Reservation and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation are in Big Horn County. The Crow Tribe extended its stay-at-home order Wednesday to June 15, while the Northern Cheyenne Tribe extended its order to May 31 last Friday.
The new cases bring the state’s total to 466. As of Friday, Montana has reported 16 deaths, 3 active hospitalizations, and 431 recoveries in the state, according to the state’s database.
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