As of Saturday, October 3, 2020, Montana reports 14,356 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with another new state high number of cases, 501, reported in the last day: 74 in Yellowstone County, 56 in Gallatin County, 49 in Flathead County, 36 in Blaine County, 35 in Cascade County, 29 in Deer Lodge County, 28 in Glacier County, 19 each in Richland and Silver Bow Counties, 15 in Lewis & Clark County, 14 in Big Horn County, 13 in each of Hill and Rosebud Counties, 8 in each of Beaverhead, Sanders, Teton, and Wibaux Counties, 7 in Prairie County, and more new cases in twenty-three more Montana counties. Statewide, 741 people have been hospitalized, and 189 people are currently being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. Yellowstone County has had 3,567 cases so far. Gallatin County has had 1,546. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 4,569. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, with 1,087 active cases. Gallatin County has 279. 186 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 209,000 Americans have died. There have been 7,360,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

President Donald Trump remains hospitalized for COVID-19. Doctors say Trump had a cough, nasal congestion, and fatigue on Thursday, symptoms that prompted his hospitalization. A White House aide told reporters that the president’s condition was more serious than the previously suggested. The aide said, “The President’s vitals over last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care. We are still not on a clear path to a full recovery.” White House physician Dr. Sean Conley that Trump is “72 hours into the diagnosis,” suggesting that Trump became infected on Wednesday, but still chose to attend a fundraiser in New Jersey on Thursday night.

Ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has tested positive for COVID-19, the latest Trump administration insider to come down with the virus. The president and First Lady Melania Trump both announced positive diagnoses early Friday, while top White House aide Hope Hicks announced her positive coronavirus test on Thursday. There are a number of cases linked to last weekend’s Rose Garden announcement of Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett: Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, the president of the University of Notre Dame, and Republican Senators, and at least three journalists in the White House press corps. There are also possible cases among attendees of fundraisers that Trump held Wednesday and Thursday.

Gallatin County reported a new daily high number of coronavirus cases Friday with 68 new cases, a record jump in the number of cases, and another 56 new cases Saturday.

Belgrade sporting events have been canceled this weekend following positive COVID-19 cases, and practices have been suspended through Monday for all of Belgrade’s sports programs. Through contact tracing, more than the 165 athletes have been placed in quarantine as well as more than two-dozen coaches. Belgrade’s entire freshman and sophomore football team (called the froshmore team) entered quarantine for the next two weeks, which led to the cancellation of Friday’s conference game against the Great Falls Bison. Belgrade’s entire freshman volleyball team was also placed into quarantine Thursday, which spurred shutting down all sports activities.