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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rhonda Johnson, Public Information Officer, Big Horn County (406) 679-0572 Big Horn County Reports Three Newly-confirmed Cases of COVID-19 23 new cases in first week of July HARDIN, MONTANA (July 8, 2020) – Big Horn County added three confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday night. One patient is a female in her 40’s and two are females in their teens. All were found through contact tracing of a previously-confirmed positive case and all three presented with Total confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Big Horn County: Age Ranges Female Male Totals Recovered Active Deaths Under age 10 5 8 13 Age 10 – 19 10 11 21 Age 20 – 29 11 5 16 Age 30 – 39 6 6 12 Age 40 – 49 4 3 7 Age 50 – 59 3 8 11 Age 60 – 69 6 8 14 Over age 70 1 2 3 Totals 46 51 97 63 30 4 Recoveries in Big Horn County increased to 63 with the addition of 14 patients recovered. Four persons are deceased. Of the 30 active cases, 27 patients are quarantining and recovering at home, and three patients remain hospitalized. Confirmed positive cases of the coronavirus in Big Horn County have continued to rise, with the greatest increase coming over the last six weeks. Month Number of Cases April 3 May 27 June 44 July to date (7/7/2020) 23 Even with the sharp increase in cases in Yellowstone County reported yesterday, Big Horn County remains the COVID-19 hotspot in the State, with more than three times the total number of cases (0.7% versus 0.2% of the population) and twice the number of active cases per capita (0.2% versus 0.1% of the population) of Yellowstone County. Big Horn County has also been averaging between two to three new cases daily recently, as highlighted in the chart below. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 2 of 2 It is based on these trends that the Public Health Officer, with the unanimous support of the Public Health Board in Big Horn County, mandated that masks need to be worn when outside the home and social distancing cannot be maintained. Masks are required when engaged in indoor activities, such as shopping. Masks are not necessary in the event that residents are outdoors and unlikely to come within six feet of other people, such as while taking advantage of our beautiful county, to work, recreate, or exercise. Tracking down contacts to a positive case (contact tracing) is one of the best tools public health can use to slow the spread of the virus. If you believe you were in the presence of a recently confirmed COVID- 19 case for more than five minutes, please call public health so that a nurse may interview you and determine what level of exposure you have: • IHS Public Health Nursing: (406) 638-3478 • Big Horn County Public Health: (406) 665-8720 Big Horn County is the sixth largest county in Montana, at approximately 5,023 square miles, and with a population exceeding 13,000. The local government was established January 13, 1913. Hardin is the County Seat. For more information about the County’s COVID-19 response, please visit our Facebook page at - 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 Avg Cases Per Day Date Big Horn County COVID-19 Cases 7-Day Moving Average