Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and Happy St. Gertrude’s Day! St. Gertrude is the patron saint of cats.

As of Tuesday, March 16, 2021, Montana reports 102,344 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 422 new cases reported in the last day: 26 in Yellowstone County, 17 in Gallatin County, 12 in Ravalli County, 10 in Cascade County, and more new cases in 25 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 878. Currently, 54 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Gallatin, Missoula, and Yellowstone Counties. 1,396 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Three more deaths have been reported in the last day. Nationwide, more than 536,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 29,500,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Health officials warn that a concerning coronavirus variant is about to become dominant in the US, and how Americans act could help fuel or curb a surge. Continued public health safety measures will be crucial because multiple variants of the virus are circulating — including the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant that was first identified in the UK. B.1.1.7 is projected to become the dominant variant in the US by the end of this month or early April. Because it is highly contagious, it could cause a surge in cases, and vaccination levels are not high enough to stop such a spike. Experts are worried some Americans are letting up too early — at a critical time when looming dangers are threatening to wipe out the progress the US has made in its battle against COVID-19. At least a dozen state leaders have eased Covid-19 restrictions this month, often citing improving Covid-19 trends and growing vaccination numbers. At the same time, air travel is hitting pandemic-era records and the first spring break crowds have begun descending on Florida and other sunny regions while cases of a dangerous variant are on the rise.

Yellowstone National Park reports the first grizzly bear sighting of the year. A pilot spotted the grizzly bear from the air on Saturday, March 13. The bear was interacting with wolves at a carcass around the northern end of the park. The grizzly sighting is the first of the year, though tracks have been spotted several times over the past two weeks. Last year, biologists saw a grizzly bear for the first time in 2020 on March 7 near Grand Prismatic Spring. In Yellowstone, male grizzlies emerge from hibernation in early March, while females and their cubs come out in April and early May. Bears leaving hibernation can act aggressively while feeding on carcasses, park officials say. Bears eat the carcasses of dead elk and bison. Park restrictions and closures went into effect March 10 at some bear management areas around the park. The restrictions include area closures, trail closures, minimum group sizes, day use only, or no off-trail travel. The affected areas have many elk and bison carcasses, which attract bears. Yellowstone National Park officials remind everyone that, “From the deepest backcountry to the boardwalks around Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park is entirely bear country.”

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, a celebration of the Wearin’ o’ the Green. St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity’s most widely known figures. St. Patrick Incorporated Irish Culture Into Christian Lessons. For instance, he used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross.

March 17 is also St. Gertrude’s Day, the feast day of this lesser-known patron saint of cats. St. Patrick himself is said to have watched over her on her deathbed when she died as abbess at the age of 30 in 656.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and Happy St. Gertrude’s Day!