Fort Belknap reports another COVID death

Fort Belknap Indian Community Council reported on its Facebook page, Wednesday night about 11, of a new COVID-19-related death.

Data from Fort Belknap is included in the information for either Blaine or Valley county.

The data for Blaine County, received by Havre Daily News at 6:20 p.m. Wednesday, showed 30 deaths in the county, its official total since Feb. 7.

Fort Belknap also reported Wednesday seven new cases with 43 active and four active hospitalizations.

Blaine County reported 12 new cases with 87 active and a total of six active hospitalizations.

The Fort Belknap death follows the state reporting a third death in Liberty County earlier this week and two new deaths in Chouteau County earlier this month.

Hill County remains at 71 deaths with no new deaths reported so far this year.

Hill County reported Wednesday 14 new cases with 72 active and one active hospitalization, while Rocky Boy Health Department, whose numbers are included with either the Chouteau or Hill county data, reported 11 new cases with 49 active and no active hospitalizations.

Today’s update on the state COVID-19 information tracking website reported Chouteau County with two new cases and 11 active cases and Liberty County also with two new cases and four active cases.

The the statewide numbers that surged immensely after the omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 became dominant in January are not increasing as rapidly as in previous weeks, although the numbers of deaths continue to mount.

The state update this morning — which often does not match what local health departments are reporting — listed 840 cases statewide with 4,242 active cases, 213 hospitalizations.

While the surge was in full swing, numbers were much higher. The daily new case rate came near 4,000 at one point, with 3,924 new cases listed Jan. 18, while active cases closed in on 20,000. The state reported 19,817 active cases Jan. 28. Active hospitalizations hit 338 Feb. 3.

The deaths data typically lags a week or weeks — sometimes months — behind cases being confirmed.