As Gallatin County continues to well outpace the rest of Montana in known novel coronavirus cases, Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital is trying to get ready for an influx of patients.
As of Thursday, the 38 people diagnosed with COVID-19 in Gallatin County represented 42% of the state’s 90 recorded cases of the new virus. It’s also the first place in Montana known for people to contract the illness locally, instead of arriving sick from elsewhere.
“We are leading the state in confirmed cases, which means that we’re also leading the state in cases we haven’t found yet,” said Gallatin City-County Board of Health member Christopher Coburn during a Thursday board meeting. The public health message has been that the virus’ presence in Montana is still small enough there’s a chance to contain its spread if people keep a distance from each other, wash their hands often and avoid touching their face.