As of Thursday, October 7, 2021, Montana reports 157,372 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1,301 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since yesterday: 333 new cases in Yellowstone County, 147 new cases in Missoula County, 114 new cases in Cascade County, 107 new cases in Gallatin County, and more new cases in 43 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 11,808. Every one of Montana’s 56 counties reports active cases. Currently, 465 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 2,070 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nine more people’s deaths have been reported in the last day. Nationwide, more than 708,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 44,100,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Two real-world studies published Wednesday confirm that the immune protection offered by two doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine drops off after two months or so, although protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death remains strong. The studies, from Israel and from Qatar and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, support arguments that even fully vaccinated people need to maintain precautions against infection.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of a Texas law banning most abortions. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman granted the Justice Department a temporary injunction late Wednesday blocking the enforcement of Texas’ strict abortion law, known as S.B. 8, which was passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature.

At last weekend’s MSU Bobcats home football game, Northern Colorado offensive coordinator Max McCaffrey broke his clipboard in frustration and threw a piece of it at a fan during the Bears’ 40-7 loss to Montana State. MSU Police responded and reported the incident as an assault. Northern Colorado characterized the incident as McCaffrey “throwing a souvenir to a fan.”