New COVID-19 case reported in Blaine County

Blaine County Health Department announced today it was notified of one new positive COVID-19 lab result.

The department said early case investigation revealed a report of a person traveling to an area with community transmission.

Case investigation and contact tracing are ongoing, the department reported.

That brings Blaine County's total cases to 8, one active and seven recovered,

The health department said that once contacts to COVID-19 cases are identified, they are interviewed by public health and tested for COVID-19. If the contact's test is positive they become a "case" and the contact tracing process begins with their contacts. If the result for the contact's test is negative, they still quarantine for 14 days following the last known exposure. This is a public health strategy to attempt to stop the spread of the infection.

Also today, Hill County Health Department reported that three confirmed cases for Hill County should have been listed as Chouteau County residents.

With the adjustment, the health department said, the numbers for Hill County are 40 total cases, 24 active and 16 recovered.

The state COVID-19 tracking map had listed Chouteau County with three cases, two active and one recovered, so the Hill County report would put Chouteau County to six cases.