Montana has a terrible outbreak of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from COVID-19. Please, everyone, stop gathering. Wear a face mask over your nose and mouth whenever you’re out of your own home. Keep your distance from others.

As of Saturday, October 31, 2020, Montana reports 32,801 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with the third-highest record number of new cases since the start of the pandemic, 887 new cases, reported in the last day: 164 in Gallatin County, 126 in Yellowstone County, 105 in Flathead County, 63 in Missoula County, 45 in Rosebud County, 34 in Lewis & Clark County, 31 in Cascade County, and more new cases in 40 more Montana counties. Statewide, 1,350 people have been hospitalized, and 369 people are currently being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. There are 11,073 active coronavirus cases in Montana. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, Cascade County, and Gallatin County, and in Flathead, Missoula, and Lewis & Clark County. 375 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 230,000 Americans have died. There have been 9,120,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

With coronavirus case counts in Gallatin County already at record-high levels, health officials are warning the Halloween weekend could lead to an unbearable surge in cases. Gallatin County Health Officer Matt Kelley said, “We’re starting from a point where we’re already in a surge, so a spike now could really have a huge negative impact on hospitals and nursing homes. We’re seeing dramatic growth in the number of cases and we know the pattern where we see a high number of cases … a couple weeks later we’ll see hospitalizations rise, and we’ll see deaths follow that.” Hospitals around Montana are near capacity or full, including two of the state’s biggest hospitals: St. Peters Health in Helena and St. Vincent Health Care in Billings. Gallatin County is already seeing rapid case increases in those aged 18 to 30, and since young people are more likely than other age groups to throw parties, there is a potential for significant case spread.

Elementary schools in Gallatin County are slated to return to five days a week, full in-person classes on Monday, sparking concerns from teachers and parents. Kelley has told school officials that more kids in schools makes spread more likely and that the health department is unable to keep up with contact tracing. The county is seeing “rapid, widespread transmission of the disease” and “enough cases now that “It’s impossible for us to do contact tracing for all close contacts for all cases,” Kelley said. Because of the record numbers of new cases over the past two weeks, schools are in the “highest risk of transmission” category. Coronavirus transmission is in all levels of schools. A health department report showed that 132 people at Montana State University had contracted the virus in the past week, bringing the total to 513 cases associated with the university. 104 remain active cases.

The county’s test positivity rate is 13.4%, which indicates that “a significant number of cases in the community are not being detected.” Going into the holiday weekend, Kelley asked that people not go to parties, to cancel events that are not essential and to stay at home or be in outdoor settings where they are not around others. He said he’s advising against any gatherings with 25 or more people. “Those sorts of events drive transmission,” Kelley said. “They put people at risk, especially people who are older and have health conditions. And even if you don’t fall into one of those categories, being at those events helps drive transmission in a way that puts people in peril.” The health department is concerned for more than just a post-Halloween surge. With Thanksgiving around the corner, Kelley said decisions people make now can impact the safety of family gatherings for that holiday. The same concerns apply to Christmas and New Year’s. It’s best not to gather.

As many nurses have now died from coronavirus than were killed during the entirety of the World War One, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has revealed. 1,500 nurses around the world have lost their lives since the pandemic began, the same number of nurses killed during the four years of World War One. However, the ICN says the figure of 1,500 is a significant underestimate, as it only includes those who have died in 44 countries where data was available. Separate analysis of global infection rates by the ICN suggests at least 20,000 healthcare workers have died from COVID,