Bullock confirms third COVID-19 case among Board of Regents meeting attendees

At least one more positive case of COVID-19 stemming from the Board of Regents meeting in Dillon in early March has been confirmed, Gov. Steve Bullock said on Tuesday.

The positive result would bring the number of known cases resulting from the meeting to three, including the Commissioner of Higher Education in Missoula.

“We know there are number of positive tests that have been connected to the Montana Board of Regents meeting, meaning individuals who were at that meeting who tested presumptive positive,” Bullock said. “I'm aware of another one that did attend the board of regents meeting.”

The Montana Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education said Sunday that an estimated 110 individuals were at the meeting at the University of Montana-Western in Dillon in early March.

The first positive case surfaced last Thursday in a patient from Butte, followed over the weekend by a second case in Missoula involving the Commissioner of Higher Education.

Bullock said Tuesday that a third case had turned up positive. The individual's location wasn't revealed during the afternoon press briefing.

“Public health authorities have reached out to all those individuals who had registered to attend the Board of Regents meeting,” Bullock said. “They should be quarantined until march 21. If anyone is symptomatic in any respect, they're being tested as well.”

Bullock said 204 tests were being sent to the state lab on Tuesday. The results have not yet been announced. Additional testing will ramp up in the days ahead as more test kits become available.

Roughly 1,000 more tests were received by the state on Tuesday.

“As of today, I think the state lab is testing a little over 200 individuals,” Bullock said. “But there will become a time when there are capacity constraints.”