From the Fringe: Where is the leadership on COVID, because this isn't normal

This is back to normal? 510 Montanans hospitalized with COVID-19 is normal? If that’s the case, all I can say is, yikes.

But, normal is exactly what Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said Montana was back to late last spring. And while I admit, at the time, things did start to seem that way, this summer, they took a drastic turn for the worse once again — and now, at least strictly from a data standpoint, Montana is experiencing its worst COVID surge yet.

And it’s not even close.

For two straight days, the state has reported 1,300 new infections. The positivity rate in Montana is a whopping 17 percent. That’s right, 17 percent of everybody who takes a COVID test is positive, and that’s just the ones who are actually willing to go get tested. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Montana, with its more than 12,000 active cases, has a COVID risk level of severe, and on Wednesday, the state broke its single-day hospitalization total with 510 people.

Again, how in the name of all that is sane is 510 people in the hospital with any one disease normal?

Unfortunately, I doubt anyone has an adequate answer to that question.

Sadly too, I don’t see the governor answering that question. In fact, I’m not seeing where he’s even making himself available to be asked any questions about this current COVID surge. While other parts of the country are finally seeing some relief, it seems there’s no end in sight here in Montana.

With that being said, where is the leadership in this state when it comes to COVID-19? I don’t care if it’s an R, a D or an I next to their name either, I want to know why we aren’t seeing leadership from our state government on this. Why has, from at  least the standpoint of things in Helena, COVID almost become a forgotten issue in Montana? 

It sure wasn’t a forgotten issue when the state Legislature, with the signatures of Gianforte, passed sweeping anti-COVID mitigation laws last winter, laws that are now surely contributing to this surge. 

But whatever, the past is the past, and again, I don’t give a rip about the political wranglings when it comes to COVID-19 in Montana. What I care about is, people are sick, people are dying, children are now being hospitalized more and more, our health care industry is getting ravaged by this surge, with doctors and nurses at their breaking point, and hospitals completely overwhelmed.

Those are facts, those are the things I care about. And I have to be honest, I don’t see any evidence that Montana leadership cares about those things anymore. 

When was the last time Gianforte held a press conference on COVID? When was the last time the governor visited a COVID unit in our state? When’s the last time he publicly encouraged more people to get vaccinated? If someone knows the answers, please, by all means, point me in the direction, but, I haven’t seen or heard a peep from our governor on this crisis in a long, long time. And, before anybody asks, why is it his problem? The answer to that is simple, he’s the governor, he’s the leader of Montana. 

It’s no different than a coach who takes all the blame for a loss. Gianforte is the head coach of Montana, and right now, Montana is losing once again. COVID is kicking this state’s butt, and whether he likes it or not, it’s his responsibility to do something about it. And I for one would at least like to hear what his plan is to get us out of this mess. 

I’d like to hear from our head coach on COVID-19. I’d like to know if our coach even cares.