As of Saturday, January 23, 2021, Montana reports 91,049 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 393 new cases reported in the last day: 92 in Gallatin County, 72 in Missoula County, 37 in Yellowstone County, 33 in Lewis & Clark County, 25 in Flathead County, and more new cases in 30 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 4,850. Statewide, 4,081 people have been hospitalized. Currently, 138 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Yellowstone, Gallatin, Flathead, and Cascade Counties. 1,104 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Four more deaths have been reported since yesterday. Nationwide, more than 410,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 24,700,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

The slow rollout of Covid-19 vaccines — including delayed deliveries, states receiving fewer doses than expected and difficulty scheduling appointments — has led to some consternation that people may not be able to get their second dose within the prescribed time frame of 21 or 28 days. While potentially worrisome, public health experts across the country say there’s no cause for concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, national pharmacy chains, infectious disease experts, and doctors on the front lines of treating patients say that there is some wiggle room for that second dose — while also emphasizing that it’s still essential to get fully vaccinated as soon as possible.

Montana State University plans to extend its asymptomatic testing of students living on campus and is encouraging students to get tested on a weekly basis. As the university enters its third week of the spring semester, it’s expanding access to the rapid tests kits past its initial rollout of two weeks but access will still be limited to students in residence halls. There were 47 new COVID-19 cases associated with MSU in the last week, according to Gallatin City-County Health Department. Since Jan. 1 there have been 116 cases associated with the university.