“Town Crier” newsletter – Briefs from the Region (1) – 4/21/20
On Tuesday, April 21, Montana reached a cumulative 437 COVID-19 cases after tallying four new cases since Monday. The state saw zero new cases from Sunday to Monday, a first since mid-March. On Monday, however, two more deaths were reported bringing the state’s total to 12. Of the 437 total cases, 273 have recovered and 14 are actively hospitalized. “Gallatin County has the most cases in the state, with 145 cumulative cases,” reported the Helena Independent Record. “The county on Monday reported four active cases and one hospitalization, with 138 recovered.” Montana received 5,000 nasal swabs on April 20, which should help to enhance testing efforts and will be distributed to providers around the state. According to the Independent Record, more than 74,000 new unemployment claims have been filed since March 13, and the state Department of Labor and Industry paid out an additional $62 million in unemployment payments between April 13-17, including $14.1 million in regular benefits and $48 million in the $600 weekly Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefits.
