COVID-19 in Silver Bow County

Butte-Silver Bow Health has activated its emergency response team and is working daily to prepare for the likelihood that COVID-19 will spread to Butte-Silver Bow County. We are also working closely with local health-care providers to monitor for the disease.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that originated in China in late 2019 and has since spread throughout the world. The disease can have mild to severe symptoms, including fever, cough, and trouble breathing. It can also be fatal, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems.

Click here to see a map showing the number of COVID-19 cases in the world and where they are occurring.

What You Can Do to Avoid COVID-19

Assess Travel Risks

The best thing you can do to avoid the disease is to avoid exposure to the virus that causes it. In part, this means avoiding travel to areas where the virus is epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issues advisories for travelers regarding potential exposure to disease in other countries. These travel alerts are likely to change as the disease spreads. Visit the following link regularly to get up-to-date information.

COVID-19 Information for Travelers (CDC)

Practice Good Personal Hygiene

Everyday precautions that can help prevent the spread of flu and other germs are also effective against the virus that causes COVID-19.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing;
• If soap and water aren’t available, use a hand sanitizer containing 60 percent alcohol;
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick;
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth;
• Stay home when you’re sick;
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, and then throw the tissue in the trash; and
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated.

Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings, Especially in Areas of Significant Community-Based Transmission

CDC continues to study the spread and effects of the novel coronavirus across the United States.  We now know from recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”) and that even those who eventually develop symptoms (“pre-symptomatic”) can transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms.  This means that the virus can spread between people interacting in close proximity—for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing—even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms.  In light of this new evidence, CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus.  CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.  Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance. (Centers for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html)

If You Think You Have COVID-19

Call If You’re Sick

Symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. If you have symptoms – and if you’ve been in close contact with someone who has the disease or have traveled to an area with ongoing spread --  call your health-care provider before visiting. Tell your provider about your recent travel or contact.

Your provider will make sure you don’t expose others in the office or hospital setting. He or she will also work with public health professionals to determine if you need to be tested.