As of Thursday, October 1, 2020, Montana reports 13,500 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with a new state high number of coronavirus cases, 429, reported in the last day: 93 in Yellowstone County, 67 in Cascade County, 66 in Flathead County, 32 in Missoula County, 20 in Richland County, 16 in Gallatin County, 15 in Glacier County, 14 in Roosevelt County, 11 in Lewis & Clark County, 9 in each of Big Horn, Hill, and Toole Counties, 8 in Beaverhead County, 6 in Rosebud County, 5 in each of Carbon and Stillwater Counties, 4 in each of Blaine, Meagher, Pondera, Ravalli, and Valley Counties, 3 in five more Montana counties, 2 in each of Custer, Fergus, and Madison County, and 1 in each of Chouteau, Deer Lodge, and Jefferson Counties. Statewide, 727 people have been hospitalized, and 178 people are currently being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. Yellowstone County has had the largest number of confirmed cases in any of the counties in the state of Montana, with 3,424 cases so far. Gallatin County has had 1,428. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 3,891. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, with 944 active cases. Gallatin County has 162. 181 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 208,000 Americans have died. There have been 7,310,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Hope Hicks, a top Trump adviser who flew with him to the presidential candidate debate, has tested positive for coronavirus. Hicks traveled on Air Force One with the president to Cleveland for Tuesday’s debate, along with roughly 20 to 30 aides and Trump family members. Hicks was also on the plane traveling to Trump’s rally in Minnesota Wednesday night, along with the president’s son-in-law and top aide Jared Kushner and with Dan Scavino, another top White House adviser. She was seen in a photo on Wednesday not wearing a mask after exiting Marine One with Kushner and White House aide Stephen Miller.

As Montana sets another daily virus record, Montana Governor Steve Bullock warns of the strain on Montana hospitals. Before Sept. 16, Montana’s single day new case record was 208. Since Sept. 16, that total has been surpassed 11 times. Six counties, including Gallatin County, were responsible for 65% of the state’s new reported cases last week. The increase in cases could lead to hospitals reaching capacity and not being able to adequately care for patients. State officials urge people to wear face masks, practice social distancing, wash their hands frequently and avoid large group gatherings. Montana has remained in phase two of the state’s reopening plan since May, meaning restaurants can run at 75% capacity and indoor group sizes should be limited to 50 people or fewer.

In Gallatin County, there were 36 new cases of COVID-19 announced Wednesday, bringing the county’s active case total to 150. There are now five active hospitalizations. “Many Montanans are taking this seriously,” Bullock said. “Yet in some ways, there’s also Montanans acting as if this virus no longer exists.” Mark Williams at Bozeman hospital said frontline health care workers “feel a degree of helplessness” because some people aren’t following guidelines. There’s a concern that increasing cases means more nurses and doctors could contract the virus and be forced to take time off work, which would further limit resources. Following guidelines isn’t political. Think of face masks and social distancing like you do driving on the right side of the road — something everyone does to protect themselves and others.