U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today urged Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield to deploy medical personnel in Yellowstone County to provide contact tracing assistance as the county sees a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases.
‘I write to you today to bring to your attention a request from Yellowstone County, Montana, for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to deploy personnel to provide contact tracing assistance. I respectfully request that the CDC consider Montana’s needs during this public health crisis and promptly accommodate Yellowstone County’s request for assistance,” Daines wrote. “While our local public health leaders are working admirably to combat the spread of this virus, new cases are overwhelming its public health system, and additional support from the CDC to expand capacity for contact tracing would help Yellowstone County quickly identify new cases and break chains of transmission.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Yellowstone County has been one of the hardest hit counties in Montana, reporting the most cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the state due to COVID-19. Yellowstone County makes up 22% of all reported positive cases of COVID-19 in Montana as of October 16th, 2020.
To read Daines’ letter to CDC Director Redfield, click HERE.
Background:
Daines has been leading the efforts in Congress to respond to the coronavirus outbreak impacting the country. To read about Daines’ COVID-19 related efforts, click HERE.