POLSON — The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is continuing to rise in the Mission Valley.
Lake County Public Health was reporting 33 active cases were being monitored as of Friday morning. Overall, 48 confirmed cases have been reported to date with 15 recoveries.
“I would say they’re most likely related to parties or events that happened over the holiday weekend, a lot of contacts to these cases are also infected, so that’s adding to the problem," Lake County Health Services Director Emily Colomeda told MTN News.
“I would say at this point that’s very safe to say that we have community transmission," Colomeda added.
The health department notes that if someone has had contact with a positive case that does not necessarily make you a close contact. People identified as a close contact will be contacted by a public health or tribal health nurse.
Lake County Public Health notes that area hospitals are “being overrun with people seeking testing.” People who are not showing symptoms of COVID-19 are being asked not to seek testing at this time.
Polson Mayor Paul Briney and interim City Manager Wade Nash issued a directive Thursday strongly encouraging the use of masks in public.
- information from Sean Wells included in this report