COVID requires community action

The Montana Nurses Association continues to be incredibly proud of the Montana nurses serving our communities during the COVID pandemic. As they have done from the start, nurses are heroically serving at the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis to care for Montanans despite the severe risks to themselves and their families.

Nurses working across all health care settings and specialties are essential to combating COVID-19. Unfortunately, nearly 400 nurses in the United States have died due to COVID-19, and many others have been infected and hospitalized. Nurses and health care workers — not to mention our teachers and essential workers — are risking their lives, and the health of their own families, to serve their communities and care for their patients and students.

COVID is real and it is consuming Montana. These latest covid positive numbers are

• Nov. 14 = 1,622

• Nov. 15 = 1,239

• Nov. 16 = 943

• Nov. 17 = 1,395

• Nov. 18 = 1,232

• Nov. 19 = 1,236

These numbers are appalling and will very soon overwhelm our hospitals. Some Montana hospitals are already overwhelmed.

Wearing a mask, hand hygiene, social distancing and limiting the number at gatherings are essential to prevent our local health care systems and our nation’s health care workforce from being overwhelmed. If we do not flatten the curve in the coming weeks and months, it will be more difficult than ever to meet the exploding demand for care from our incredible nursing and healthcare workforce.

MNA is asking for support from our citizens to support the mask mandate when in public and recent statewide restrictions announced on Tuesday. Additionally, MNA supports keeping schools closed and learning remotely until after the New Year — schools are closing daily— and a stay-at-home recommendation until the New Year as it will be the only way to flatten the curve.

Please, please, please wear a mask to protect your health and those around you. Wearing a mask is an evidence based proven method to help decrease the spread of COVID. Wearing a mask does not take away your rights. It simply protects each other while we all face this public health crisis. It is no different than wearing a seatbelt and it will/does save lives. There is promising news on a vaccine, however, that will take weeks, and most likely months, for it to become widely available. Getting a flu shot is extremely important this year if you are able to do so.

——

The Montana Nurses Association is the recognized leader and advocate for the professional nurse in Montana.