Two non-residents COVID-19 cases confirmed in PC

The Phillips County Health Department announced last week that two people, both non-residents of Phillips County, tested for the COVID-19 virus in Phillips County.

On July 29, the Health Department issued a press release which states that a woman in her 60s who has been working in Phillips County was symptomatic and has been instructed to remain isolated for 14-days until she has fully recovered, though because of privacy laws, it is not known if this woman is still in the county. The statement said that the Health Department is working to identify all close contacts with the woman and has interviewed her to find out the places she has gone within the last two weeks, adding that contact tracing is ongoing.

On Saturday, August 1, the Health Department announced that the second positive case in Phillips County had been discovered in another non-resident, this a 60-year-old male, and he was identified through contact tracing and is also isolated.

On July 15, the Phillips County Hospital and Family Health Clinic and the Phillips County Health Department teamed up in the parking lot of the Milk River Pavilion to administer COVID-19 drive-up tests to anyone who wanted one. A total of 50 tests were given and 18-days later the results were released with 48 negative tests and two presumptive positive tests.

“After further confirmatory testing, both positive tests have concluded to be negative” and therefore there were no positive cases were discovered at the drive-through testing.

Because both positive cases in Phillips County are people who do not live full-time in the county, Phillips County remains one of five Montana continues with no positive COVID-19 cases in the state.