Fewer than 100 Montana residents hospitalized with COVID-19

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Fewer than 100 Montana residents were hospitalized with COVID-19 late this week for the first time in more than seven months, the state health department said.

On Friday, there were 90 people hospitalized with COVID-19, down from 93 on Thursday. Montana last had fewer than 100 people hospitalized with COVID-19 between Feb. 12, 2021 and July 28, 2021 — the period between the first surge of COVID-19 and when the delta surge started.

Reported COVID-19 cases in the state decreased 43 percent from the week of Feb. 14 to the week of Feb. 21, when there were an average of 370 cases per day.

On Friday, 21 of Montana's counties had three or fewer known active cases of COVID-19, and nine are reporting no active cases, state figures showed.

Since April 2021, unvaccinated Montanans have accounted for 80 percent of hospitalizations and 77 percent of deaths due to COVID-19, Gov. Greg Gianforte was told during his weekly briefing the coronavirus.

About 54 percent of Montana's eligible population is fully vaccinated, the state reports. Missoula County reports a 66 percent percent vaccination rate among eligible residents, while in Garfield County that number is 25 percent.

Just over 3,200 Montana residents are known to have died from COVID-19.