As of Tuesday, July 13, 2020, Montana reports 1,952 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 109 new cases reported in the last day: 32 cases in Yellowstone County, 27 in Lake County, 13 in Gallatin County, 9 in Flathead County, 8 in Lewis & Clark County, 7 in Lincoln County, 3 in Park and in Sanders County, 2 in each Big Horn and Jefferson Counties, and 1 in each of Missoula, Ravalli, and Wibaux Counties. Statewide, 136 people have been hospitalized, and 29 people are currently being treated in the hospital for COVID-19. Yellowstone County has had 557 cases so far, surpassing Gallatin County, with 417 cases so far. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, with 369 active cases. Gallatin County has 177 active cases. 34 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 138,000 Americans have died.

Protesters interrupted, then caused the rescheduling of, a Gallatin County Board of Health meeting Tuesday. The board called the meeting to hear public comment and vote on requiring face masks in public settings to try to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but postponed the meeting after more than 100 people showed up, yelling, carrying signs, and refusing to honor social distancing, in violation of statewide restrictions on large gatherings. Sheriff Brian Gootkin told protesters at the back of the room that they needed to wait outside, where the meeting was being broadcast, for their turn to provide public comment. He cited statewide rules that limit gatherings to 50 if people aren’t socially distanced. In response, attendees yelled over the sheriff. Gallatin County Commissioner Joe Skinner, who serves on the health board, said the board wanted to hold the meeting and listen to everyone but had to do so in compliance with the statewide rule. The crowd also drowned him out. More than 1,000 people submitted comments in advance of Tuesday’s meeting. The meeting has been postponed to Friday at 7 a.m. The meeting will be held virtually only.

A study on heart scans of COVID-19 patients has revealed more than half had damage to their hearts. Patients had abnormalities that were revealed in echocardiograms, and one in seven patients had severe abnormalities.

In Texas an infant has died due to Covid-19. The newborn baby boy was six weeks old, and had only one symptom of COVID-19: a fever. He tested positive for coronavirus and died days later. In Florida, more than 11,000 children have tested positive for coronavirus, and three have died so far: an 11-year-old boy, a girl, sixteen, and a 17-year-old boy. Children may have mild symptoms or may be asymptomatic, but can transmit the virus to others. Children also are at risk for developing an inflammatory disorder called multi-system inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C.

In Michigan, forty-three new coronavirus cases have been linked to a large house party in July. Most of the new cases are young people between the ages of 15 and 25. An additional 66 people contracted coronavirus who had face-to-face contact with a confirmed case. That number could be higher still; it does not include family members or immediate household contacts of the newly identified cases.

In Montana, seven residents of the Billings Canyon Creek Memory Care facility have now died in a week. The death total has now surpassed the outbreak at another senior care facility, the Marias Heritage Center in Toole County, which killed six people after the pandemic began in March. The Canyon Creek senior care facility announced last Tuesday that there was an outbreak of COVID-19 among its residents and staff. At least 50 Canyon Creek residents tested positive for COVID-19, along with 36 staff members. The high number of staff members infected prompted the Billings Clinic and National Guard to step in last week to help with operations at the facility.

A cluster of COVID-19 cases in Libby has more than doubled Lincoln County’s coronavirus case number since the beginning of the pandemic in March. There were 19 new cases on Sunday, and all but one were related to the cluster. By Monday afternoon the cluster total had risen to 22 cases with more expected. There’s no particular event or facility or establishment where infection was shared.

The Ravalli County Fair scheduled for Sept. 2-5 has been canceled due to COVID-19. The Miss Montana pageant is set for Glendive at the end of July. But it will proceed without the current Miss Montana, Mo Shea of Helena, who resigned Saturday over concerns about the health risks associated with having such an event.

A squirrel in Colorado has tested positive for the bubonic plague. Morrison, Colorado, in Jefferson County, just west of Denver, made the startling announcement, saying that the squirrel is the first case of plague in the county. Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, and can be contracted by humans and household animals if proper precautions are not taken. Humans can be infected with the bubonic plague through bites from infected fleas, by direct contact with blood or tissues of infected animals, or through a cough or a bite. Plague can be effectively treated with antibiotics when diagnosed early.