COVID-19

County passes 1,000 cases of COVID-19

Published on Thu, 01/21/2021 - 3:14pm

Park County has surpassed 1,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases after adding 15 cases Thursday, according to the  Park County Health Department.

The county has reported 1,005 total cases during the pandemic, 100 of which are active.

The milestone comes amid the county’s shift to phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccination plan, which encompasses people ages 70 and older, those with certain chronic diseases and certain high risk groups such as Native Americans.

Park County COVID restrictions remain in place despite governor's directive

Published on Tue, 01/19/2021 - 3:18pm

Although Gov. Gianforte recently removed COVID-19 restrictions on gathering sizes and capacity at small businesses statewide, Park County’s restrictions remain in place.

Gatherings in Park County are limited to 50 people, and bars, restaurants, breweries and casinos are limited to 75% capacity, according to Park County Health Officer Dr. Laurel Desnick.

Desnick said Tuesday there are no restrictions on closing times in Park County at this time, but most bars are voluntarily abiding by a 10 p.m. or midnight closing time.

New study: Pandemic has affected jobs, housing and food

Published on Fri, 01/15/2021 - 3:31pm

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected a significant portion of Park County residents’ jobs, as well as housing and food security, according a survey conducted by the Park County Health Department.

The Health Department has released the data from the first round of its Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) survey.

Local pharmacies preparing for vaccine arrival

Published on Thu, 01/14/2021 - 3:19pm

Although little is known about how COVID-19 vaccinations will be distributed throughout Montana for phase 1B of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, local pharmacies and health care providers are trying to keep people informed about when the vaccine will be available.

Jessica Gravatt, pharmacy manager at Western Drug, said she’s doing the best she can to stay up on vaccine information, and the best thing for interested parties to do would be to touch base with the pharmacy periodically.

Full reopening of schools delayed until at least Feb. 9

Published on Wed, 01/13/2021 - 4:33pm

Administrators at the Livingston School District Tuesday recommended East Side School, Sleeping Giant Middle School and Park High School stay with students on-site two days a week until at least Feb. 9.

The recommendation, given to the Livingston School District Board at its regular meeting Tuesday, was based on the district’s current COVID-19 metrics and uncertainty regarding the statewide mask mandate, which Gov. Gianforte has pledged to remove.

“The uncertainty with masks is causing a lot of trouble right now,” East Side School Principal Bob Stevenson said.

Phase 1B: Local organizations prepare for next step of vaccine rollout

Published on Wed, 01/13/2021 - 4:21pm
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As Phase 1A in Park County’s COVID-19 vaccination plan winds down, local health care organizations are preparing for the beginning of phase 1B, expected to begin sometime next week.

Phase 1B is the second round of COVID-19 vaccinations and will include certain high risk populations such as the elderly and those with chronic illnesses. Group 1B also includes other high risk groups such as Native Americans.

School bus service suspended indefinitely

Published on Tue, 01/12/2021 - 3:17pm

School bus service in Livingston has been suspended indefinitely because of at least one positive COVID-19 case within the Livingston School District’s transportation department.

The district’s online COVID-19 outbreak dashboard’s Monday afternoon update contained the note that school buses will not run until further notice.

In addition to the transportation department, there have also been new COVID-19 cases identified at Park High School and Sleeping Giant Middle School, according to the dashboard.

Seventh local resident dies of virus

Published on Thu, 01/07/2021 - 2:48pm

A seventh Park County resident has died from COVID-19, the Park County Health Department announced Wednesday, the first COVID-19 death in the county in 2021.

The deceased was a man in his 90s, Park County Health Officer Dr. Laurel Desnick said in a video update Wednesday.

COVID-19 cases continue to trend down in Park County with about five new cases per day, Desnick said, and the county isn’t seeing a post-holiday rise in cases thus far, although it’s still too early to feel secure in that trend.

Five new school virus cases as students return from break

Published on Tue, 01/05/2021 - 9:08pm

The Livingston School District reported five new COVID-19 cases among students and staff upon returning from winter break Monday.

According to the district’s online COVID-19 dashboard, three staffers at Washington School are isolating after testing positive for COVID-19, as well as one student from Sleeping Giant Middle School and one student from East Side School.

It is not known whether the staffers were exposed to COVID-19 at school or away from school, according to the dashboard.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

Published on Wed, 12/30/2020 - 12:00am
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Livingston School District nurses Holly Sienkiewicz and Sue Harriman were in good spirits Wednesday morning after receiving their first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The pair were the first people to be vaccinated at the Park County Health Department’s new vaccine clinic downtown.