As of Wednesday, September 29, 2021, Montana reports 149,824 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1,332 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since yesterday: 256 new cases in Yellowstone County, 179 new cases in Flathead County, 165 new cases in Missoula County, 87 new cases in Cascade County, 80 new cases in Gallatin County, and more new cases in 43 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 11,981. Every one of Montana’s 56 counties reports active cases. Currently, 418 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 2,001 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Twelve more deaths have been reported in the last day. Nationwide, more than 693,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 43,200,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Drive-through vaccination clinics are being held in Helena at the Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds for people to get their third booster shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. More COVID booster clinics are planned at the fairgrounds Oct. 5 and 13, Nov. 16 and Dec. 14.

Bozeman Health and its union nurses have agreed on a two-year contract after nearly seven months of contract negotiations. Members of the Montana Nurses Association Local #4, which represents about 400 nurses at Deaconess Hospital, voted to ratify the contract after previous negotiations were unsuccessful.

A wildfire burning in the Custer Gallatin National Forest between Big Sky and West Yellowstone on Monday doubled in size by Tuesday, growing to an estimated 64 acres. The Shedhorn fire grew after firefighting aircraft had to be grounded because someone was flying a drone in the area. On Tuesday afternoon, a second drone grounded firefighting aircraft again.