As of Saturday, July 11, 2020, Montana reports 1,677 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 85 new cases reported in the last day, the fifth time in ten days that Montana has set a record high for the number of new daily cases. The 96 new cases in Montana include 31 new cases in Gallatin County, 8 in Lake County, 6 new cases in Yellowstone County, 4 new cases in each of Big Horn, Cascade, Custer, Lewis & Clark, Madison, and Ravalli Counties, 3 new cases in Flathead County, 2 new cases in each of Deer Lodge, Roosevelt, Silver Bow, and Teton Counties, and 1 new case in each of Broadwater, Carbon, Glacier, Granite, and Lincoln Counties. Statewide, 127 people have been hospitalized, and 24 people are currently being treated in the hospital for COVID-19. Yellowstone County has had 435 cases so far, surpassing Gallatin County, with 404 cases so far. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, with 258 active cases. Gallatin County has 164 active cases. 29 people have died in Montana of COVID-19, with a person from Ravalli County succumbing on Friday. Nationwide, more than 137,000 Americans have died.

Coronavirus cases are increasing dramatically across the U.S., and in North Carolina, a single family gathering was responsible for at least 40 cases. More than two dozen people were reportedly in attendance. People did not wear masks or observe physical distancing at this gathering, and 14 people who attended subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. The family members went about their daily lives before they started showing symptoms — which can appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure, according to the CDC. That included going to work and “taking a beach trip with other families, which set into motion a person-to-person contact chain that to date has spread COVID-19 to 41 people in 9 different families and 8 different workplaces.

In San Antonio, Texas, a 30-year-old man died after attending a so-called “COVID party” — a bizarre trend where young people intentionally get together with someone who’s infected. The patient thought the coronavirus pandemic was a hoax. His doctor said, “He thought he was young and he was invincible and wouldn’t get affected … One of the things that was heart-wrenching was that he said to his nurse before he died, ‘I think I made a mistake,'” she said.

Kalispell will hold its Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo August 19 through the 23. According to the release sent out by the Flathead County Fairgrounds, social distancing measures will be implemented throughout the fairgrounds and masks will be encouraged. Workers handling food and beverage or in close contact with fairgoers will be required to wear masks.

There’s a toxic pond warning in a Bozeman neighborhood after a dog died recently at the pond. The algal toxin is in the privately-owned pond in the Sundance Springs subdivision east of Graf Street, near Rain Roper Drive, adjacent to the popular Sourdough Trail System. The Gallatin City-County Health Department has closed the pond and recommends that people stay away from the pond. No swimming or water activities. Keep pets and livestock away from the water. Ingesting or coming into contact with the toxin in the water can cause illness, muscle twitching, staggering, convulsions, paralysis, or even death.