(CNN) A group of emergency physicians in Montana is pleading with their community to follow Covid-19 restrictions, warning that a surge in cases and dwindling hospital capacity in Ravalli County has the community "on the brink of disaster." The letter comes as Ravalli County -- home to an estimated 44,000 people -- experiences a spike in infections. By Thursday, the county had 731 Covid-19 cases, according to the state's coronavirus data dashboard , and 450 of those cases were active. The rise in cases is straining local hospitals, the letter says, hampering doctors' ability to treat not just Covid-19 patients but those suffering from other life-threatening conditions like heart attacks. In some instances, doctors have been forced to transfer critically ill patients to hospitals out of state, the letter says.

Source: CNN November 12, 2020 19:18 UTC