Hill County reports first COVID-19-related deaths

Editor's note:This version corrects the reported ages of the two reported Hill County COVID-19-related fatalities and that the deaths are COVID-19 related.

Hill County Health Department reported this afternoon the first confirmed COVID-19-related deaths in the county.

The department reported in a press release that it was made aware of the two deaths as well as a new confirmed case of the disease this afternoon.

The people who died were in their 50s and 60s for age and had underlying health conditions, the department reported.

The total for this afternoon was 42 total cases for the county, three active, 37 recovered and two deaths.

That brings the county below the four-active-case threshold for the requirement by Gov. Steve Bullock's directive to wear a mask when in public, but the health department release said it and the Hill County health officer encourage the wearing of masks regardless of the number of active cases in the county.

Rocky Boy Health Center previously reported one new confirmed case and two deaths.

Cases confirmed at the health center also are reported by the local health department, typically in Hill or Chouteau county, depending on where the person with the confirmed case lived.

Chouteau County Health Department reported this afternoon that a new positive COVID-19 case had been confirmed in the county.

The report on Facebook said that takes the county to nine total cases, six active, with the county number putting it in the governor's four-county-active-case requirement to wear a mask.

"Please act like everyone else is infected and continue to follow all recommended precautions," the Chouteau County Health Department post said.

Chouteau County also reported a new case Wednesday, as well as reporting a new case Saturday, bringing it to today's total.

Blaine County Health Department reported a newly confirmed case Tuesday, but said the case was confirmed after the person was in an isolation period and will be listed as a recovered case.

That brings the total in Blaine County to 10 cases, two active and eight recovered.

Liberty County still was listed as with one recovered case on the state tracking map, a case confirmed in March.

Phillips County, which includes the eastern edge of Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, reported Wednesday it has confirmed five cases of COVID-19.

One of the Hill County cases was confirmed in March, all other local cases have been confirmed from July 4 on.