MISSOULA — With a surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations happening across the nation a question may come to mind, should we be as concerned as we were two years ago?
Officials at Missoula Public Health suggest we shouldn’t be that concerned but we should still take the proper precautions.
Although COVID-19 is no longer the pandemic-level threat it once was, it can still be life-threatening to people with pre-existing conditions and those who are immunocompromised.
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Because the COVID-19 cases resulting in hospitalizations are the only ones being tracked, Missoula City-County Health Officer Damian Chase–Begay suggests following the proper protocol when testing positive.
“If you test positive for COVID you are supposed to isolate for five days so that is a period to avoid you infecting other people," Chase-Begay said. He also said a significant change could be on the horizon regarding tests and vaccines.
“One thing that’s important for folks to know is that because we’re not in the public health emergency anymore, there is probably going to be a cost to testing or vaccines that people weren’t used to seeing when we were in the emergency phase," Chase Begay explained. "And so you can go to any pharmacy and get a test, you can go to many commercial pharmacies and get the vaccine but there’s going to be a cost and so you need to be prepared for that.”
People who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should contact their medical professional on what to do next.