Three more Yellowstone County residents died of COVID-19-related causes over the weekend, RiverStone Health officials reported Monday.
All three died in a Billings hospital. They included a man in his 50s who died Friday, a woman in her 50s who died Saturday and a man in his 60s who died Saturday.
The new deaths bring the COVID-related toll in Yellowstone County to 150.
Here's the full news release from RiverStone Health:
Billings, MT – RiverStone Health, Yellowstone County’s public health department, reports the death of three more Yellowstone County residents from COVID-19 related illness.
On Friday, December 18, a man in his 50s died in a Billings hospital.
On Saturday, December 19, a woman in her 50s died in a Billings hospital
On Saturday, December 19, a man in his 60s died in a Billings hospital.
“Last week alone, our county lost six community members to the pandemic,” said John Felton, Yellowstone County public health officer and RiverStone Health CEO. “Words seem inadequate to comfort so many families, so many friends who are grieving the deaths of COVID-19 victims.”
So far this month, 16 Yellowstone County residents have died of COVID-19 related illness. Since the pandemic began, it has claimed 150 lives in our county. Most are older adults, but 19 of the men and women who died were under age 60.
Especially during these holiday weeks, we must take responsibility to protect our family members and neighbors by following all the prevention protocols:
· Keep your distance of at least 6 feet from others who don’t live with you.
· Wear a mask in public and whenever you are with a person who doesn’t live with you.
· Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.
· Stay home if you are ill.
To date, 13,273 Yellowstone County residents have been infected with COVID-19.
More information on the pandemic is online at covid.riverstonehealth.org.