As of Thursday, August 5, 2021, Montana reports 117,610 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 286 new cases reported since yesterday: 62 new cases in Flathead County, 31 new cases in Missoula County, 31 new cases in Yellowstone County, 27 new cases in Cascade County, 25 new cases in Gallatin County, 20 new cases in Lewis & Clark County, and more new cases in 24 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 1,851. Currently, 135 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Flathead, Yellowstone, Cascade, Missoula, Gallatin, and Lewis & Clark Counties. 1,720 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Two more deaths have been reported in the last day. Nationwide, more than 615,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 35,500,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

The majority of new COVID-19 hospitalizations in Montana are unvaccinated people as the state sees an exponential rise in coronavirus infections. For June and July, 89% of the 358 Montanans who were hospitalized with COVID-19 were unvaccinated. Of the 41 COVID-19 deaths during those eight weeks, 78% were unvaccinated individuals.

Two Montana men have been charged in a $1 million COVID-relief fraud scheme. The U.S. Attorney for Montana accused them of defrauding a bank of approximately $1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and using the money to buy things like property and vehicles. Trevor McLeod, 48, of Laurel, and Kasey Wilson, 29, of Helena, have pleaded not guilty to bank fraud and with engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

Two East Helena brothers who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C., have been offered a plea deal, even as prosecutors and officials have gathered more materials and surveillance evidence against the defendants. The two accused, Jerod and Joshua Hughes, have an early September deadline to decide whether to accept the plea deal or to go to trial.

The American Fork fire, a lightning-caused blaze in the Crazy Mountains that has been burning since July 17, has spread to more than 14,000 acres. Rain earlier in the week helped slow the fire, with both the moisture and higher humidity levels for a few days. A mandatory evacuation order is still in effect for the Smith Creek Subdivision.