As of Monday, October 25, 2021, Montana reports 171,981 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1,422 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since Friday: 277 new cases in Yellowstone County, 173 new cases in Flathead County, 150 new cases in Missoula County, 121 new cases in Gallatin County, 116 new cases in Lewis & Clark County, and more new cases in 38 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 10,739. Every one of Montana’s 56 counties reports active cases. Currently, 447 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 2,259 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Twelve more people have died of COVID-19 in Montana since Friday. Nationwide, more than 736,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 45,400,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Last week, at least 47 more Montanans died from COVID-19. Thursday, Oct. 21 also brought the highest number of deaths in a single day since the start of the pandemic with 17 deaths recorded in the state. Since last Monday, 6,040 new cases were added to the state dashboard. Hospitalizations remain high and 86% of ICU beds filled mostly with COVID patients.

Montana’s Republican Speaker of the House and Senate President of the Montana Legislature have set in motion an investigation into the state Attorney General’s dispute with St. Peter’s Hospital in Helena. Montana House and Senate Democratic minority leaders requested last week that the Legislature’s newly created special counsel investigate St. Peter’s reports that three public officials “harassed and threatened” its doctors who refused to administer ivermectin, a drug not approved to treat coronavirus, to a patient who requested it.

Schools remained closed on Monday throughout Hardin’s two school districts due to a threat made against students and staff at Hardin High School. School administrators met with Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Sunday afternoon to discuss the potential threat made on social media, and cancelled school throughout the two districts on Monday, including extracurricular activities and sports practices.