Montana sees decrease in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations

The hill ^ | 12/04/2021 | Lexi Lonas

[ChicagoConservative27]

Montana has seen a significant decrease in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations over the past few weeks.

A readout for Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) from the state’s health department showed a decline of 43 percent decline in cases this week compared to the week prior, The Associated Press reported.

In that same time, hospitalizations decreased 16 percent in the state after a surge of new COVID-19 cases in September.

[ChicagoConservative27]

How can this be with omg variant going around according to fauci?

[SaxxonWoods]

Colorado improving also, while Arkansas cases are rising again. It like the virus sweeps north, drops off in the South and then starts over again from South to North.

Migrants?

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

They’re moving to Minnesota.

[Paladin2]

One can only hope that Mont. remains sane as herd immunity is reached.

[Paladin2]

It’s the Oh My God Con variant.

Too bad Fauxcy hasn’t been struck.

[Owen]

Good call. Minnesota spike.

As for Montana, let’s give that a maybe. Thanksgiving is 4 days with clerks not counting cases or hospitalizations or deaths.

[Owen]

Correction, Montana cases are long term decline. Deaths are not. Of course just as happened most places in August, declines can reverse, almost randomly.

[DSH]

Montana is an interesting case. Perhaps it took a while for the SARS-COV-2 virus to reach this lightly populated, low density state, I dunno. But the pattern of deaths involving COVID in Montana since the pandemic began reveals that, to date, there have been more COVID deaths for each month in 2021 than there had been in the corresponding month in 2020. Specifically:

April 2020 - 11 COVID deaths / April 2021 - 33 COVID deaths

May 2020 - between 1-9 COVID deaths / May 2021 - 29 COVID deaths

June 2020 - between 1-9 COVID deaths / June 2021 - 39 COVID deaths

July 2020 - 44 COVID deaths / July 2021 - 53 COVID deaths

August 2020 - 50 COVID deaths / August 2021 - 150 COVID deaths

September 2020 - 93 COVID deaths / September 2021 - 289 COVID deaths

October 2020 - 279 COVID deaths / October 2021 - 425 COVID deaths

The data for November 2021 are not yet complete, as evidenced by the fact that the 603 total deaths (all-cause mortality) recorded for the month constitute only 71% of "expected death." So far, there have been reported 170 COVID deaths for Montana in November 2021. In November 2020, the figure was 405 COVID deaths (with the 1,325 total deaths that month constituting 157% of "expected death").

Notably, those 405 deaths in November 2020 had represented Montana's worst month for COVID deaths since the pandemic began, until October 2021's figures surpassed it.

In short, for the months April through October, pre-vax Montana in 2020 did better, in terms of COVID deaths, than did post-vax Montana in 2021. Let's hope that trend reverses.