Montana reports 9th death tied to nursing home outbreak

A ninth death has been tied to an outbreak of COVID-19 at a nursing home in Billings, the Yellowstone County health department said Thursday.

A man in his 70s died early Thursday at Canyon Creek Memory Care, RiverStone Health reported. Thirty-five Montana residents have died of the respiratory virus. Thirty-seven remain hospitalized.

Montana reported another 134 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, raising the state’s total confirmed cases to 2,231. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested.

Applications for unemployment assistance held steady last week, federal officials said. At least 126,000 Montanans have been unemployed at some point since the pandemic began, accounting for nearly 28% of the workforce eligible for unemployment insurance.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.