BILLINGS - Four more Yellowstone County residents died of COVID-19 illness on Thursday, according to RiverStone Health. So far, 518 Yellowstone County residents have lost their lives to illness caused by the pandemic virus.
All four deaths occurred at Billings hospitals. The victims were:
· A woman in her 70s, who had underlying medical conditions that increased her risk of severe illness from COVID-19. She was vaccinated.
· A woman in her 50s, who had underlying medical conditions and was not vaccinated.
· A man in his 80s, who had underlying medical conditions and was vaccinated.
· A man in his 70s, who had underlying medical conditions, and was vaccinated.
On Friday, Billings hospitals had 70 COVID-19 inpatients, including 36 who weren’t vaccinated and 34 who were vaccinated. Among the hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 15 were in ICU and 11 were on ventilators.
Twenty-five of the 36 Yellowstone County residents who have died of COVID-19 illness since Jan. 1, 2022, had not been vaccinated. Eleven people who died had been fully vaccinated, which means they had received at least one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or at least two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
As the pandemic enters its third year, COVID-19 remains a threat to vulnerable people. Please do your part to keep our community safe by getting vaccinated. Vaccination remains the safest, most effective way to reduce risk of COVID-19 illness, hospitalization and death.
Booster shots as well as recommended first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccine are available at no charge to people age 5 and older at RiverStone Health Clinics. For an appointment, call the RiverStone Health Immunization Clinic at 406.247.3382 or the RiverStone Health Clinic at 406.247.3350.
Free at-home COVID-19 test kits are available at:
· Billings Public Library at 10 a.m. Saturday until the supply is gone.
· Billings Family YMCA, 402 N. 32nd St., at the front desk during regular business hours.
· Laurel Public Library, Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
· RiverStone Health Clinics in Billings, Bridger, Joliet and Worden during regular clinic hours.
For more information on reducing your COVID-19 risk, please visit covid.riverstonehealth.org.