It is safe to say that this pandemic is starting to hit a little too close to home. We here in Montana watched as high density population centers around the country got hit with the virus back in the early part of Spring and into Summer. Now, the virus has shown up on our doorstep, and it is generating concern among health officials.

Granted we are a state with lots of wide open spaces. We are not forced to live on top of each other like in places like New York City. It had helped slightly with the transmission of the virus at first. Our population density for the entire state is less than some of the medium sized metropolitan areas in nearby states. This should have played a huge roll in Montana being a state that wasn't pummeled by the pandemic. Unfortunately that is Not the case.

According to globalpandemics.org

To help cut through the noise and sometimes conflicting advice, a network of research, policy and public health experts convened by Harvard’s Global Health Institute and Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics today launches a Key Metrics For COVID Suppression framework that provides clear, accessible guidance to policy makers and the public on how to target and suppress COVID-19 more effectively across the nation.

“The public needs clear and consistent information about COVID risk levels in different jurisdictions for personal decision-making, and policy-makers need clear and consistent visibility that permits differentiating policy across jurisdictions”, explains Danielle Allen, director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University.  “We also collectively need to keep focused on what should be our main target: a path to near zero case incidence.” 

Looking at the metrics they provided. Montana is in the Top 10 for states that are currently being hit the hardest by the pandemic.

#10 Montana

85.5 daily new cases per 100,000 people

#9 North Dakota

87.8 daily new cases per 100,000 people

#8 Wyoming

90.8 daily new cases per 100,000 people

#1 Alaska

196.7 daily new cases per 100,000 people

See the full MAP and read more

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KEEP READING: See 25 natural ways to boost your immune system

 

KEEP READING: See 25 natural ways to boost your immune system

 

 

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