The Polio Pioneers: Montana was at forefront of fighting crippling disease helenair.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from helenair.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dr. Greg Holzman is entering his final days as the stateâs medical officer after being among the familiar faces in Montana s battle against COVID-19 during a torturous time for the state.
âIt feels good, it will be nice to take some time off,â he said as he approached his last day with the state on April 16, leaving a position he has held since 2015. From the onset of the pandemic, Holzman was a fixture at news conferences led by then-Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, and provided information and fielded questions from reporters along with other Department of Public Health and Human Services staff.
The pandemic hit Montana hard.
No effective vaccine was in place. People ignored quarantine orders as state health officials pressured local authorities to close bars, churches, schools and other places where crowds normally gathered.
Doctors and nurses were in short supply and exhausted by the caseload. Some Montana counties had no medical personnel at all. One city required some public workers to wear face masks, but made it optional after receiving complaints that the masks were causing headaches and eyestrain.
No one was immune as even the lieutenant governor became ill. Native American populations were hit hard.
Although this may sound familiar, this is not from 2020, nor 2019.