MISSOULA – Missoula County investigators have tracked down data on COVID-19 cases and provided an update on what trends they see.
They said on Wednesday that cases seem to be stabilizing, but it is too soon to stop taking precautionary measures.
Researcher Ethan Walker said the R-value, as a reproduction number of the virus, has remained fairly stable since July.
“The R-value has generally remained close to one, indicating that the spread of the virus is relatively stable or even slowly declining,” Walker said.
He said people in their 20s in the state have the highest incident rate compared to other age groups.
“Younger individuals, although less likely to experience severe symptoms, still contract the virus completely, and they play a role in spreading the virus to others,” Walker said.
That’s why Walker says while we fall in the fall with classes starting and the flu season ahead, it’s important for all ages to wear face masks and keep a six foot distance from others.
“We will face new challenges for the fall school year, and as we move toward the cold and flu season,” Walker said.
“We need to remember that this is not a time to develop a false sense of security. To continue wearing masks, practicing social distance and keeping the spread to a minimum, as we face these new challenges.”
Walker said if people are complaining, the trend could go up again.
Missoula Co., health officials discuss trends on COVID-19
Missoula City-County Health Department of Performance Management & Quality Improvement Coordinator Kristie Scheel said last month most cases were a confirmed source.
“Close contacts continue to be identified, forming the vast majority of all cases reported in mid-July, and deepening slightly less than rising in that first half of August,” she said.
“This is a very good indicator that we are currently researching and doing really solid contact tracing,” Scheel added.
Statistics show that as of August 18, 44% of active cases in Missoula County are non-traceable, meaning they were purchased from an unknown source and not linked to travel or a confirmed case.
According to the same data, 42% of active cases are contacts for a confirmed case, while 7% are likely to have become ill from travel, and another 7% are under investigation, according to Scheel.
Sometimes the state and counties report different numbers of active cases.
But officials say in the coming weeks, counties will feed their case numbers directly to the state to report those who report differences.
Go here for more of the research.
.
