Cases continue to plummet, but the pandemic continues

COVID-19 case numbers continue to plummet in this part of north-central Montana, much like for the rest of the U.S., as the omicron wave appears to be reaching its end, but experts caution that the pandemic is unlikely to end with this latest variant and it will leave plenty of problems in its wake that health care will need to address.

While cases are still being confirmed every day, the number of new cases per day has dropped by around two-thirds nationwide in the last three weeks, and as that number continues to drop experts seem increasingly hopeful that the omicron surge is reaching its end.

Editor's note: With the decline in new cases, Havre Daily News will not print a daily update of local or state numbers but plans to run a weekly update each Monday.

Concerns are often raised about the possibility of further variants and indeed the consensus among experts in the U.S. is that there will be more to come.

A version of the omicron variant, known as BA.2, is even more contagious and quickly overtook the original omicron variant in South Africa and elsewhere, causing a second Omicron surge in Denmark.

Some have braced for the same to happen in the U.S. but the results here have been less dramatic so far, with the new version spreading steadily, but slowly.

Fear remains that the situation with BA.2 may change for the worse, but the fact that omicron in general was significantly less lethal compared to previous variants is an indication that the virus that causes COVID-19 may become weaker and weaker, eventually becoming not much worse than influenza.

Such predictions are based on what similar viruses tend to do, but epidemiologists and others in health care often point out the that coronavirus is uniquely tough to deal with, not just on a variant-to-variant level, but on a person-to-person level, causing significantly different symptoms even in similar patients.

Hill County remains

fairly unscathed

While the omicron wave put thousands in the hospital nationwide and strained the U.S. health care system tremendously, the number of deaths compared the number of cases appears to have remained low per capita. Hill County in particular hasn't seen a COVID-19 related death since November of last year.

Blaine, Liberty and Chouteau counties have all had COVID-19-related deaths since then, so Hill County is something of an outlier statistically, but considering how much more contagious the omicron variant is than the previously-dominant delta variant, itself far more contagious than the original strain, this is a remarkable drop in lethality.

The numbers since the start of the pandemic still are high, with Blaine County listing 31, Chouteau County 14, Liberty County 3 and Hill County listing 71 total COVID-19-related deaths.

While case numbers during this latest surge have been record-breaking, both in the local area and the U.S. generally, since their peak in January case counts have plummeted with only seven cases reported in Hill County Friday, compared to nearly 100 at the surge's peak.

Local health departments were closed for Presidents Day Monday and Friday is the latest local report.

Blaine County reported six cases Friday and the state listed none for Liberty and Chouteau counties, for which local data was not available.

As for the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly COVID-19 update last Friday says the seven-day daily average for new cases dropped by 43 percent from last week, a consistent trend for the last few weeks.

The seven-day daily average for hospitalizations and deaths has also decreased, albeit less dramatically, by 29 percent and 15 percent respectively.

Despite this proportional drop in the severity of illness omicron causes, and the fact that fewer and fewer new cases are being confirmed nearly every day, the U.S. is still reeling from the pandemic's death toll which draws ever closer to a grim national milestone of 1 million.

U.S. mental health crisis will continue after the pandemic

The COVID-19 update last week also highlighted the effect the pandemic has had on Americans' mental health, especially that of children.

"Beyond causing sickness, the pandemic has triggered uncertainty and loneliness, disrupted social and physical activities, and upended daily routines," the update said. "Since the start of the pandemic, there have been more than 78 million COVID-19 cases, and more than 926,000 deaths reported in the United States. More than 140,000 children in the United States have lost parents and caregivers to COVID-19."

The mental health crisis in the U.S. predates the pandemic, the update says, but the past two years have exacerbated the situation with more and more young people visiting pediatric emergency departments for behavioral health issues.

The update says this is particularly true of adolescent girls who, more than any other group, have seen the greatest increase in pandemic-related distress.

It says the increased amount of time spent at home, while beneficial for some, can have a net-negative impact on others and children often bare the brunt of home-related issues.

"While prolonged time at home could increase familial support for some youth, it may have amplified challenges and stressors among other youth," the update says. "These factors, as well as other pandemic-related stressors, could have created or added risk for mental health conditions and other behavioral health challenges."

"CDC supports efforts to promote the emotional well-being of children and adolescents by providing tools and resources to help increase access to children's mental and behavioral health services and aid families and communities in creating safe, stable, and nurturing environments that help children thrive," it adds.

Experts urge caution as cases fall

While many experts express cautious optimism about the omicron surge, vaccination is still being encouraged as the best defense against variants old and new.

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.