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 Wednesday, November 11, 2020, Montana reports 42,070 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 928 new cases reported in the last day: 200 in Yellowstone County, 120 in Gallatin County, 117 in Flathead County, 108 in Missoula County, 62 in Lewis & Clark County, 38 in Lincoln County, 25 in Dawson County, 20 in Richland County, and more new cases in 37 more Montana counties. Statewide, 1,530 people have been hospitalized, and a record 500 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. There are 17,004 active coronavirus cases in Montana. In the past month, the number of active cases in Montana has more than tripled. The most active cases are in Yellowstone County, Cascade County, Gallatin County, Missoula, Lewis & Clark, and Flathead Counties. 472 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. More than half of all the COVID deaths in Montana occurred in the last month. Nationwide, more than 241,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 10,500,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Australia has almost eliminated the coronavirus — by putting faith in science. The nation of 26 million is close to eliminating community transmission of the coronavirus, having defeated a second wave just as infections surge again in Europe and the United States. No new cases were reported on the island continent last Thursday, and only seven since Saturday, besides travelers in hotel quarantine. Just eighteen patients are hospitalized in Australia with COVID-19. Melbourne, the main hotbed of Australia’s outbreak that recently emerged from lockdown, has not reported a case since Oct. 30. As North America, Europe, India, Brazil and other regions and countries struggle to bring tens of thousands of daily infections under control, Australia provides a real-time road map for democracies to manage the pandemic. Several practical measures contributed to Australia’s success: The country chose to quickly and tightly seal its borders, a step some others, notably in Europe, did not take. Health officials rapidly built up the manpower to track down and isolate outbreaks. And unlike the U.S. approach, all of Australia’s states either shut their domestic borders or severely limited movement for interstate and, in some cases, intra­state travelers. Perhaps most important, though, leaders from across the ideological spectrum persuaded Australians to take the pandemic seriously early on and prepared them to give up civil liberties. They told the public: ‘This is serious; we want your cooperation.

The CDC says wearing a mask not only protects others from the spread of Covid-19, but it protects the wearer as well. The CDC also said that “adopting universal masking policies can help avert future lockdowns,” particularly when combined with a doubling down of mitigation strategies available to virtually every American: physical distancing, hand washing and ventilation. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, spreads mainly through respiratory droplets, especially when people are coughing, sneezing, singing, talking or even breathing. Infectious disease experts have long said that when one person covers his or her mouth and nose, it protects those who are nearby. The CDC estimated that more than 50 percent of transmissions originate from asymptomatic people, or those who have been infected but have not yet developed symptoms. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, agreed that it is increasingly clear that the benefit of wearing masks is a “two-way street.” “Recent data has now shown that as a matter of fact, there’s also the added benefit to protect you from droplets and virus that’s coming your way. You protect others,” he said. “Their masks protect you. And your mask also protects you.” Masks can indeed protect against inhaling larger droplets; it’s a reason why health care workers routinely wear masks.

The number of Montana State University students in quarantine and isolation housing is increasing, but university officials still plan to finish out the semester with in-person learning. MSU reported its highest week of new cases last week with 212 case, a 41% increase from the previous week. the university is nearing 70% capacity in its quarantine and isolation housing. The total number of quarantine and isolation beds on campus is between 200 and 300. Students in one of the Quad residences on campus have been quarantined due to cases there. The Quads are suite-style residence halls that can house 25 students. During Friday’s health board meeting, health officer Matt Kelley said the quarantine and isolation capacity at MSU was “being pushed to the limit” and the university was working to find more quarantine housing. Since Aug. 1, there have been 725 positive cases connected with MSU. As of last Friday, there were 128 active cases connected to the university, a 23% increase from the previous week. The fall semester is scheduled to end on Nov. 25.

Due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in Gallatin County and for the safety of our staff and patrons, the Bozeman Public Library will move to Curbside Pickup Service only starting Friday, November 13. Curbside Service Hours:
• 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday
• 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday
Holds can be placed at www.bozemanlibrary.org or by calling the Bozeman Public Library.