As of Tuesday, August 4, 2020, Montana reports 4,314 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 84 new cases reported in the last day: 15 in Big Horn County, 11 in Lewis & Clark County, 9 in Flathead County, 8 in Yellowstone County, 6 in Gallatin County, 5 in each of Cascade and Lake Counties, 4 in Toole County, 3 in Beaverhead County, 2 in each of Carbon, Deer Lodge, and Madison Counties, and 1 in each of Custer, Daniels, Hill, Lincoln, McCone, Prairie, Ravalli, Roosevelt, Rosebud, and Stillwater Counties. Statewide, 238 people have been hospitalized, and 70 people are currently being treated in the hospital for COVID-19. Yellowstone County has had 1,118 cases so far, and Gallatin County has had 874. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 1,484. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, with 567 active cases, while Gallatin County has 71. 64 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 158,000 Americans have died.

Japan has declared a coronavirus emergency after outbreaks on the US military base in Okinawa. The prefecture has seen a record daily spike in infections in addition to the island’s total cases, the majority of which have been traced to US troops based there. The surge has increased tensions among locals and US forces. Japan’s Okinawa prefecture has declared a state of emergency for dozens of islands to be placed under a state of emergency between August 1 and 15.

A new study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 78 percent of recovered COVID-19 patients had permanent heart damage. The vast majority, 80%, of recovered COVID-19 patients had structural changes to their hearts. More than half had ongoing heart muscle inflammation even after recovery.

Two more large national retailers, Lord & Taylor and Men’s Wearhouse, both have filed for bankruptcy. They are among about a dozen large retailers that have tipped into bankruptcy as pandemic-fueled store closures sent sales plummeting. The economic fallout from the virus has widened, with the parent company of Men’s Wearhouse declaring bankruptcy as people have stayed away from offices and the suits and other business attire once needed for work. Other bankruptcies of national retailers include J. Crew, Neiman Marcus, J. C. Penney, Hertz Rent-a-Car, Lucky Brand, Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant, and California Pizza Kitchen.

Bozeman’s school leaders have decided that Bozeman students will return to school with a hybrid model of in-person and remote learning. Students will attend in-person classes two days a week when school begins Aug. 31. Students whose last names begin with the letters A through L will attend class in person on Mondays and Tuesdays, while learning from home Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Students with last names starting with M through Z will attend class in person on Thursdays and Fridays. With the blended model, students will be in school two days a week and in smaller groups of 10 to 15 students in a classroom at a time, sitting at a distance from each other.