As of Monday, November 2, 2020, Montana reports 34,252 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 757 new cases reported in the last day: 194 in Yellowstone County, 71 in Flathead County, 57 in Gallatin County, 53 in Missoula County, 42 in Cascade County, 39 in Lewis & Clark County, 33 in Big Horn County, 32 in Lake County, 25 in Silver Bow County, 24 in Blaine County, 21 in each of Beaverhead and Ravalli Counties, and more new cases in 27 more Montana counties. Statewide, 1,373 people have been hospitalized, and 386 people are currently being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. There are 12,370 active coronavirus cases in Montana. Since Oct. 1, the number of active cases in Montana have nearly tripled. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, Cascade County, and Gallatin County, and Missoula County. 386 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. More than half of all the deaths in Montana caused by COVID-19 occurred in October. In Cascade County, more than half of its fatalities from COVID, 16, have come in the last 17 days. More Montanans have died of COVID in just the last week than died of the flu all last year. Nationwide, more than 231,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 9,330,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

A 13-year-old Missouri boy has died of COVID-19. Eighth grader Peyton Baumgarth fell ill and died less than two weeks after he last attended in-person class at school. The boy’s last day of class was October 22. Within a week, his symptoms worsened. He began a quarantine October 26. Baumgarth was hospitalized, and died over the weekend. “The family asks that we all remember to wear masks, wash hands frequently and follow guidelines. COVID-19 is real and they want to remind students and parents to take these precautions in and outside of school.”

England faces a new lockdown as coronavirus cases in the UK pass 1 million. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new month-long lockdown after being warned that without tough action a resurgent coronavirus outbreak will overwhelm hospitals in weeks. The nationwide lockdown starts Thursday and lasts until December 2. Under the new restrictions, bars and restaurants can only offer takeout, nonessential shops must close and people will only be able to leave home for a short list of reasons including exercise. Activities ranging from haircuts to foreign holidays must once again be put on hold. Other parts of the U.K. set their own public health measures: Wales and Northern Ireland are already effectively in lockdown and Scotland is under a set of tough regional restrictions. London School of Hygiene epidemiologist John Edmunds, a member of the government’s scientific advisory group, said Saturday that cases were running “significantly above” a reasonable worst-case scenario drawn up by modelers. The United States, India, Brazil, Russia, France, Spain, Argentina and Colombia have also each recorded more than 1 million cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. Scientists say the true number of cases is much higher because not everyone with the virus is tested.

As the U.S. heads into the winter holiday months, doubling-down on basic public health measures is even more crucial, especially wearing a mask and avoiding crowds and close contact in closed spaces with poor ventilation, experts say. William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, says, “When you’re dealing with the first full winter of the worst pandemic that we have seen in a century, the capacity for chaos is there and is real. The virus likes chaos.”

It’s important to note that not every person who tests positive for coronavirus becomes ill or exhibits symptoms. Many do not; of those who do become sick, some experience mild symptoms and do not require hospitalization. Others, however, do require hospitalization. However, every person who tests positive for COVID-19 can spread the virus to other people, including family members and friends, which is why public health officials continue to urge everyone to wear a mask and maintain at least six feet of “social distance” when in public.