BUTTE — Ninety lives have been lost in Butte-Silver Bow due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
The Butte-Silver Bow Health Department marked the 90th death in the county by holding a memorial service on Thursday to honor the victims.
"Since our COVID-19 event began in March of 2020, I know a lot of you who are here have lost—deeply—and we wanted this ceremony to note that," said Karen Sullivan, Butte-Silver Bow health officer.
"The health department, when we noted our 90th death very recently, we felt we couldn’t go on without noting it for our community and quite honestly for ourselves. So I want to thank you for being here."
Family and friends of victims who lost their lives to COVID-19 were there to honor them. Father Patrick Beretta gave a moving speech and prayer to memorialize those who lost their lives.
"To some of these deceased, I held their hands. To some, I spoke words of tenderness and affection at the time of their approaching deaths and I’ve observed many others including some that are here who have done the same and so much better than I ever could. The memories of our beloved deceased will forever be a blessing to us." said Beretta.
According to the Health Department, as of Sept. 8, ten people are hospitalized with COVID-19 at St. James Healthcare. Of those ten, six are in the Intensive Care Unit. Four of those in the ICU are on ventilators.
Of the ten hospitalized, seven are not vaccinated. Of the six in the ICU, five of them are not vaccinated. The people currently hospitalized range between 30 and 70 years of age.