Flathead County has 30 submitted tests to state

As of Tuesday afternoon, Flathead County health-care officials had submitted 30 tests to the state health department in Helena to be checked for coronavirus.

According to Flathead City-County Public Health Officer Hillary Hanson, Flathead County should receive results within one to three days, assuming pick-up and delivery of the tests occurs in a timely fashion.

There were no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Flathead County as of Tuesday. According to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services website, 311 people in Montana have been tested for coronavirus and eight of those individuals have tested positive. The tests are conducted at the Public Health Laboratory at the state health department.

Hanson, who was also recently named the incident commander for Flathead County for the duration of the outbreak, also recently sent in a request asking the Flathead County commissioners to consider an emergency declaration for the county.

“This would allow us to access local emergency funding,” Hansen explained. “We are currently having to use funds from our county health department budget.”

An emergency declaration hopefully would open up the county to federal or state support for services related to the coronavirus outbreak and essentially would allow the local health department to be refunded.

According to County Administrator Mike Pence, the request will be voted on by the commissioners during their Wednesday meeting at 10:30 a.m.

The Flathead City-County Health Department recently launched the website https://flatheadhealth.org/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/ where people can find updates and information on the coronavirus. The public can also call an information line at 406-751-8188.

Reporter Kianna Gardner can be reached at 758-4407 or kgardner@dailyinterlake.com