Montana resident confirmed to have contracted COVID-19

The first Montana resident has been confirmed to have contracted the novel COVID-19 virus, although she was not in Montana when she contracted it and was in Maryland when tested.

“Since the case was announced earlier today, public health officials have been working nonstop to learn more about this case and can now confirm the patient did not have coronavirus while she was in Montana,” Gov. Steve Bullock said in a release Thursday. “We will continue to monitor the patient in Maryland and remain committed to preparing for coronavirus to reach Montana.”

The 70-year-old woman is being cared for in a Maryland hospital.

Although the case occurred outside of Montana, it still is classified as a Montana case because she is a Montana resident.

Montana still has no confirmed cases within its borders.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that the United States had 1,215 cases and 36 deaths by Wednesday afternoon.

While the spread of the virus is declining in China, where it originally was detected Dec. 31, it continues to spread in other parts of the world, and the World Health Organization declared the spread of the disease a pandemic, a global outbreak of a disease.

CDC announced Montana will receive $4,567,500 to support its response to the virus, part of $560 million awarded to state and local jurisdictions.

President Donald Trump signed Friday the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020. The supplemental contains $8.3 billion government-wide, with resources directed for grants or cooperative agreements to states, localities, territories, and tribes to accelerate planning and operational readiness for COVID-19 preparedness and response, as well as develop tools and strategies, provide technical assistance and program support, as well as ensure ongoing communication and coordination among public health agencies and partners throughout the response, a CDC release said.

CDC reports illnesses stemming from the virus range from mild symptoms to severe illness and death in extreme cases.

The symptoms that typically occur within two to 14 days after exposure are fever, cough and shortness of breath.

Older adults and people with serious chronic medical conditions like, heart disease, diabetes and lung disease are at a higher risk of becoming very sick from the illness.

To protect themselves from becoming ill, people should clean their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after being in a public place or blowing their nose, coughing or sneezing. People can use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not readily available.

People should avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

Poeple should avoid close contact with people who are sick and put distance between themselves and others if COVID 19 is spreading in their community.

People should stay home if they are sick, and cover mouth and nose with a tissue or the inside of their elbow of they sneeze or cough. Used tissues should be thrown into the trash, and people should wash their hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer after coughing or sneezing.

People should wear a facemask when around other people if they are sick, but should not wear facemasks if they are not sick. Facemasks may be in short supply and should be saved for the sick and for caregivers.

People should also clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily, including tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets and sinks. People should use detergent or soap and water to clean dirty surfaces before disinfecting.