County changes COVID tracking, test givewaway next week

As new cases of COVID-19 continue to be confirmed in the state and this region, a COVID protest across the border is closing a port of entry into Canada, free tests are being offered and the Hill County Health Department is changing how it is doing contact tracing.

The new case numbers have dropped a bit Monday, although they are still high — Montana reported 978 new cases in its update Monday — but hospitalizations continue to climb, as do deaths.

The state broke the 3,000-mark in COVID-19 related deaths over the weekend, with the total listed today at 3,016.

And protests are rocking Canada, both in the capital of Ottowa and across the border from north-central Montana.

Truckers protesting COVID restrictions have blocked the highway north of the Port of Coutts, the Canadian counterpart of the Port of Sweetgrass on the border north of Shelby on Interstate 15.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations in a release advised people that, while the Port of Sweetgrass remains open, Canadian Border Services Agency has closed the Coutts, Alberta, Port of Entry north of Shelby to inbound traffic.

The closure is due to truckers protesting Canadian measures on COVID-19, which is blocking the highway north of Coutts.

Customs and Border Protection has advised that people need to be aware that travel north into Canada via the Coutts Port of Entry is currently unavailable. Its release adds that people also are advised that even though the Port of Sweetgrass remains open, their ability to enter the United States at the border crossing may be impeded by the continued closure of Canadian Highway 4 north of the Coutts Port of Entry.

CBP encouraged people who are traveling or planning international travel via the Sweetgrass Port of Entry to seek to alternate routes utilizing a different port of entry. A list of ports of entry in Montana may be found on CBP’s official website at https://www.cbp.gov/contact/ports/mt .

In Hill County, the county health department has scheduled an at-home test giveaway next Tuesday, Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Great Northern Fairground or until supplies runs out.

The announcement says that more giveaways could be scheduled as tests become available.

People are asked to enter the fairgrounds through the west entrance, drive along midway past the Bigger Better Barn where tests will be distributed, no more than one per vehicle, then leave the fairgrounds via the exit south of the Bigger Better Barn.

The health department also announced Friday that, starting Monday, it was shifting to an online platform to contact COVID-19 positive individuals.

This is in response to rising case numbers, and a decrease in staffing. It also follows the recommendation from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to begin moving away from universal contact tracing and case investigation for COVID-19 at this time, a Hill County Health Department release said.

“Although universal case investigation and contact tracing was implemented in spring 2020 to slow COVID-19 transmission, much has changed over the past year, prompting the need for a revised public health approach,” the release said. “This includes the wide availability of safe and effective vaccines, better understanding of the epidemiology of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (that causes COVID-19), and the emergence of the more-infectious omicron variant.”

Starting Monday the health department is contacting lab-identified positive cases via text message, which will include a link to a secure web-based survey where individuals will complete their case investigation, the release said. The web form will gather patient information and provide instructions on how to properly isolate.

The information collected in these secure HIPAA-compliant web forms will be used for contact tracing and epidemiological purposes only, the release said. Case investigation by phone call will remain available for individuals who do not have access to internet services or for those who would prefer to complete the investigation with a staff member.

“The recommended transition away from universal case investigation and contact tracing for COVID-19 does not suggest that such tools have limited value in the setting of many priority infectious diseases,” the release adds. “Indeed, case investigation and contact tracing by public health officials remains a vital, well-established method for the control of other communicable diseases, such as measles, tuberculosis, hepatitis A, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases, like syphilis and gonorrhea. Public health will continue to evaluate the optimal control strategies for COVID as the response evolves and make strategic changes to prevent or reduce transmission.”

For more information about COVID-19, people can visit http://hillcountyhealth.com/covid-19 , the release concludes.

And other local agencies also continue to take action. Liberty County Public Health announced it was holding a Moderna vaccine clinic Monday, and posted information about the vaccines on its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lchnh.org Friday.

Chouteau County Health Department put out a notice Monday evening that it had extra doses of Moderna vaccine for today.

“If you want to start your vaccine or get a booster please call our office 622-3771. Shots are from 1-5:30 on February 1st at 1020 13th street in Fort Benton,” the post reads.

Posts on the Chouteau County Health Department Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Chouteau-County-Health-Department-191027850924298 include a Mayo Clinic article about COVID-19 vaccines and a guide for family and caregivers of people confirmed with cases of COVID-19.

Officials are urging people to take every step they can to protect themselves and slow the spread of the virus, with the most crucial getting vaccinated or a vaccine booster if they have not done so yet.

The vaccines for COVID-19 have remained effective at preventing hospitalization and death through out the pandemic and the rollout of boosters for the vaccines provide an extra layer of protection that drastically reduces the chances of people getting seriously ill.

Aside from vaccination, much of the same procedures are still recommended to slow the spread of the virus, including omicron. Wearing masks while in public areas is still a key way to slow the spread of — and reduce the chance of contracting — the virus, with recommended masks still effective at reducing the spread of the variants of the virus, including omicron.

Avoiding being in large groups of people outside of a person’s household when possible also will reduce the chance of contracting the virus, as will regular handwashing and people covering their coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their elbow.

In Hill County, vaccinations and booster shots are available through Bullhook Community Health Center, 406-395-4305; the Hill County Health Department, 406-400-2415; Northern Montana Health Care’s Specialty Medical Center at 406-265-7831 or its Family Medical Center at 406-265-5408; Western Drug Pharmacy, 406-265-9601; Gary & Leo’s Pharmacy, which takes walk-ins; Walmart; and the Rocky Boy Health Center 406-395-4486.

People can contact the Blaine County Health Department at 406-357-2345 and Fort Belknap Health Center, public health nurse at 406-353-3250 and pharmacy at 406-353-3104, to schedule vaccinations and booster shots.

Vaccine is available in Chouteau County at the Chouteau County Health Department, 406-622-3771, and Big Sandy Pharmacy at 406-378-5588.

People can call Liberty County Health Department at 406-759-5517 to schedule a vaccination.