As of Sunday, December 6, 2020, Montana reports 67,875 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 740 new cases reported in the last day: 186 in Yellowstone County, 91 in Missoula County, 77 in Cascade County, 70 in Gallatin County, 50 in Flathead County, 44 in Lewis & Clark County, 44 in Ravalli County, and more new cases in 28 more Montana counties. Statewide, 2,836 people have been hospitalized, and 475 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 16,852. The most active cases are in Yellowstone and Flathead County, Cascade, Lewis & Clark, and Missoula Counties. 736 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 282,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 14,800,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Rudy Giuliani has COVID-19. The president’s lawyer and former New York Mayor has appeared maskless during meetings with state lawmakers in recent days. In a tweet posted Sunday evening, Giuliani said he was “getting great care and feeling good.” At 76, Giuliani is considered to be at high risk for complications stemming from the virus. Giuliani had dodged the virus for weeks as multiple people in his orbit tested positive. Giuliani appeared at events such as Trump’s election night party at the White House and a news conference alongside Trump’s legal team, and most recently he attended election-related meetings with state lawmakers in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan and Georgia. Each event featured attendees without masks, including Giuliani. Some at the events, including Giuliani’s son, tested positive for the virus afterward. In addition, Christianné Allen, his spokesperson, tested positive late last month and had been quarantining after the mid-November news conference. Giuliani is the 20th person close to Trump who has tested positive for the virus since the election night event.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, sounded a dire alarm on Sunday amid spiking Covid-19 cases across America as she expressed frustration with government officials who ignore public health guidance as caseloads and deaths rise. Birx said that it’s especially frustrating to see governors and local officials refuse to enact the same mitigation strategies they used to successfully curb the virus’ spread in the summer. “This is the worst event that this country will face not just from a public health side, yet we know what behaviors spread the virus and we know how to change those behaviors to stop spreading the virus.”

Government leaders have sent conflicting messages on the virus since it hit American shores: while public health officials have been fighting to help convince Americans to take the threat of the virus seriously and calling for an aggressive commitment to mitigation efforts, President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned both the severity of the virus and public health guidance meant to combat its spread. And this month, the White House and State Department planned large indoor holiday parties despite warnings against indoor gatherings. Public health officials warned Americans not to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, but airports broke pandemic-era records as many appeared to still be gathering. Birx said that America will likely see the repercussions of those gatherings in the next week or two and cautioned that Americans cannot continue with the same mindset that they took to Thanksgiving travel.