As of Monday, October 26, 2020, Montana reports 28,501 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 622 new cases reported in the last day: 186 in Yellowstone County, 70 in Flathead County, 56 in Gallatin County, 48 in Missoula County, 39 in Richland County, 29 in Lewis & Clark County, 24 in Cascade County, 21 in Hill County, 14 in Deer Lodge and in Lake Counties, 12 in Powell County, 10 in Blaine County, and more new cases in 24 more Montana counties. Statewide, 1,237 people have been hospitalized, and 360 people currently are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. There are 9,855 active coronavirus cases in Montana. The most active cases are in the southeast part of the state in Yellowstone County, and in the northwest corner of the state in Flathead and Glacier and Missoula Counties, in the west central counties of Cascade, and Lewis & Clark, and in the southwest, Gallatin County. 303 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 225,000 Americans have died. There have been 8,70,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Governor Bullock has activated the Montana Army National Guard to help at the Montana State Prison, where a coronavirus outbreak has sickened staff and inmates. 61 staff members and 166 inmates have tested positive for the virus since the first positive case was reported earlier in October. The facility outside of Deer Lodge has 701 staff members and 1,407 inmates. 67 soldiers were scheduled to begin their orientation at the prison Monday afternoon and assume their duties Tuesday. They will assist with the distribution of mail, do laundry, perform inmate counts and deliver meals, allowing prison staff to do other tasks. Soldiers will not be armed, and their direct contact with inmates will be minimal.

As COVID-19 cases surge, Montana’s hospitals are reaching – and surpassing – capacity. Dr. Bridget Brennan, chief medical officer of Benefis Health System in Great Falls, pleaded to the public to “be good humans” by washing their hands, practicing social distancing and avoiding crowds. Brennan knows those precautions won’t rid the state of COVID-19 in one day, but at least they will help slow the spread, which would give hospitals more time and resources to properly care for patients. But COVID-19 cases in the state are soaring, and hospitals are stressed. Benefis hospital’s COVID-19 unit has surpassed its capacity, and more than 90% of Benefis’ hospital beds are occupied. Other Montana hospitals are at or near capacity, too. With an influx of sick patients and infected employees unable to work, Benefis and many hospitals must weather the public health crisis while short-staffed. Benefis nurses report that because Benefis is short-staffed, employees are working even if they were exposed to COVID-19 and received a contact-tracing call. One health care worker who was exposed to COVID-19 said Benefis requires her to do a “working quarantine,” where she must go to work, go home and go nowhere else for 14 days.

On Oct. 4, Benefis announced three long-term care residents had contracted coronavirus. Nearly three weeks later, Benefis reported 15 active cases and 10 deaths among its long-term care residents.

Another school outbreak is ending in-person classes. Target Range School in Missoula is going to remote learning only until Nov. 6 due to an outbreak of COVID-19.

Delta Airlines has banned more than 460 people from its flights for not following its face mask policy. The company began requiring that passengers wear masks on flights back on May 4, a measure aimed at helping slow the spread of coronavirus and to protect other passengers and crew members. All major airlines now mandate that passengers wear masks.