BILLINGS - RiverStone Health reported a Yellowstone County resident in his 50s died on Tuesday at a Billings hospital from COVID-19 related illness. The man was unvaccinated and had other underlying health conditions that put him at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness.
Including the death reported Tuesday, 478 Yellowstone County residents have lost their lives to the pandemic virus. Statewide, 2,904 Montanans have succumbed, according to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.
On Tuesday, Billings hospitals had 38 COVID-19 inpatients, including 36 who weren’t vaccinated and two who were vaccinated. Among the hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 15 were in ICU and 14 were on ventilators.
Vaccination remains the safest, most effective way to reduce risk of COVID-19 illness, hospitalization and death, the health agency said in a press release. So far, 53% of Montanans age five and older have been fully immunized against this virus. In Yellowstone County, 52% of residents age five and older have been fully immunized.
COVID-19 vaccines continue to be available at local medical clinics and pharmacies. RiverStone Health will offer this free, walk-in community COVID-19 vaccination clinics for people age five and older:
· 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 30 at RiverStone Health, 123 S. 27th St., in the four-story building.
All three COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the United States will be available at this clinic. People can receive first, second and booster doses as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People who previously had one or two doses should bring their vaccination card. Parents must sign consent forms for children under 18. Masks are required at the vaccination clinic.