MISSOULA – As COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the nation, Missoula County is in the top five in Montana for active cases. Local agency officials met Aug. 4 to provide information regarding the current situation including the Delta variant, vaccination information and the shift in Center for Disease Control guidance regarding face coverings. Mayor John Engen said the goals remain the same for Missoula since the beginning of the pandemic - to ensure that the hospitals are viable and can handle the case load COVID patients and other ailments as well and prevent death and human suffering. While COVID has changed and health officials continue to learn more about the virus, the biggest difference now is there is a vaccine in place.
“It is up to you and we need your help,” Engen said.
In the past four weeks, Missoula County has more than tripled its cases reported over the seven-day average per 100,000 people. Last month the low was three cases per 100,000 people and this week it was up to 20 cases per 100,000 people. For the past few weeks they have seen 20-50 new cases per day. As of Monday, the doubling time is 27 days.
“We don’t want that,” Missoula City-County Health Officer D’Shane Barnett said. “We are in advanced community spread at 20. The goal that we are trying to stay below is a daily incidence rolling seven day average of less than 25. We slowing creeping up to our threshold that we don’t want to pass.”
Numbers of active cases reached 200 in Missoula County, numbers that haven’t been seen since last March. Incident Commander Cindy Farr in her Aug. 5 brief said that newest challenge for the Health Department is the number of close contacts per positive case. Instead of a close circle of close contacts, there are now 20 or more being identified per case. They are starting to increase contact tracing staffing to help with this uptick.
Missoula County is still leading the state in vaccination rate. Of the eligible population, 61% of Missoula County residents are vaccinated and 54% of the entire community is fully vaccinated. The goal is 75% of the entire County vaccinated.
“We are still are not at our goal and we are still absolutely encouraging people to get vaccinated,” Barnett said.
Barnett said vaccination rates have doubled in the last week at the former Lucky’s Market at the Southgate Mall site. For the mobile vaccination clinics it has been hit and miss based on the event.
“We are making vaccines available,” Barnett said. “If we suspect that an event is not going to be very busy and there are only going to be two or three people, we are not going to say no because that is two or three people that we want to have vaccinated.”
There are more than 500 strains of COVID. The CDC has identified the Delta Variant as a “significant threat.” It is a concern for those unvaccinated and others that are immune compromised or others at high-risk of medical complications. It is highly transmissible and can cause more serious side effects. Barnett said the Delta variant is present in Missoula County and the best defense is vaccines.
Barnett explained the contagion chance for the Delta variant is 1,000 times higher and is equated to chicken pox. For each person with the Delta Variant, without any protective measures in place, they would infect five to nine people. It is also hospitalizing more people in the younger age groups compared to the other strains.
Farr said the vaccination is still very effective at preventing infection from the Delta Variant. In Missoula County around 5% of those fully vaccinated are getting the virus but are either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. That is what they are expecting since the vaccination is 95% effective. The symptoms in those that were vaccinated but still get contract COVID are much milder than those unvaccinated individuals who get sick.
Farr said social distancing, masking, frequent hand washing and keeping social circles small are still effective measures to prevent the Delta variant. She recommends people get tested if sick and stay home.
In Missoula County, the 12-29-year-old age group has the lowest vaccination numbers. Farr said this is bad news with school starting up next month. The Health Department is highly encouraging everyone in this group to get vaccinated since the Delta variant has caused more severe illness in younger age groups and it also helps protect the community by reducing the possibility of the virus mutating again to a point where it renders the vaccine ineffective.
“Vaccines actually work,” Egen said. “There is so much mis/dis-information out there. Vaccines have worked for years in this country and in many cases have eradicated horrible diseases. In this case we can eradicate or at least get us to herd immunity by taking the simple act of getting a free vaccine.”
As an updated released July 27, the CRC recommended face coverings for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, in counties experiencing a high rate of spread and where social distancing of six-feet is not possible. Missoula County was one of the counties identified to follow this recommendation. The reason for the change is the virus has changed over time.
While Farr said Missoula County is not imposing a face covering mandate, it is a strong recommendation. Business and organizations have the authority to set masking requirements in their establishment.
“With the rapid spread of the Delta variant, we need to re-implement some of those protective behaviors that we thought we had moved past,” Farr said.
If someone is vaccinated and identified as a close contact, they will not be required to quarantine unless symptoms develop. Barnett said Missoula County will ask that they go get a COVID test within three-five days of being identified as a close contact to allow them to monitor the number of people that are asymptomatic and are carrying the virus.
The Missoula City-County Health Department is not currently offering a third vaccination shot or booster since it is not recommended by CDC. They also have not seen the federal funding promised by President Joe Biden to give citizens $100 for getting vaccinated so “we will not be handing out $100 bills,” Engen said.
Missoula City meetings have reverted to all virtual meetings until the epidemiological indicators change. Missoula County will remain in a hybrid model for public meetings.
Barnett said, “Vaccines are still our absolute best and most effective tool in combating COVID and also reminding people about all those other mitigation behaviors that we have learned in the past 16 months.”
For more information regarding vaccination clinics, cases or testing visit missoulainfo.org or call 406-258-INFO (4696).
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