As of Saturday, January 16, 2021, Montana reports 89,056 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 425 new cases reported in the last day: 83 in Gallatin County, 66 in Lewis & Clark County, 51 in Missoula County, 45 in Yellowstone County, 22 in Flathead County, and more new cases in 28 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 5,048. Statewide, 3,957 people have been hospitalized. Currently, 190 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Yellowstone, Gallatin, Lewis & Clark, and Cascade Counties. 1,088 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Two more deaths have been reported since yesterday. Nationwide, more than 396,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 23,800,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

After reporting Friday that the country’s vaccine stockpile did not exist, Montana’s health department said the state’s expected upcoming allocation has not changed. “We continue to receive correspondence from our federal partners. Vaccine is allocated to Montana on a week-by-week basis. There’s been no indication that our vaccine supply has been changed for next week’s allocation,” said Jon Ebelt, a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health and Human Services, in an email late Friday. The Washington Post reported earlier Friday that after the U.S. Department of Health and Human services said the federal government would push out the second dose of vaccinations it had been holding back, those doses weren’t available. But Montana’s planned shipments haven’t changed, Ebelt said. “Montana has not experienced an interruption in receiving vaccines. We are getting them to communities as quickly as possible, and will continue to move into Phase 1B, providing the vaccine to the most vulnerable Montanans, next week,” Ebelt said.

Coronavirus cases remain a concern in Gallatin County. As Montana State University students returned to classes this week, novel coronavirus cases are remaining at a significant level in Gallatin County. The 7-day rolling average was 71 cases per 100,000 residents as of Thursday, an increase of 8% from last week. Though Gallatin City-County Health Officer Matt Kelley said an “evening out” of cases recently has allowed the county’s contact tracers to be more effective and taken some COVID-related pressure off Bozeman Health, the case numbers are still notable. “When you’re seeing an average of 71 cases a day, that’s significant,” Kelley said. “There was a time during this pandemic … (when) that would have been pretty unbelievable and it’s become more of a normal thing.” There have been 67 cases related to MSU since the New Year, and a number of active COVID-19 cases at K-12 schools in the county.
There were eight active cases at Anderson School as of Thursday, six at Meadowlark School and a handful at a slew of other schools, including Bozeman, Lone Peak and Belgrade high schools.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has announced that he is declining the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he was scheduled to receive from President Donald Trump on Thursday. Belichick cited the “tragic events of last week” as leading to his decision. Pro-Trump rioters rampaged in the US Capitol a week ago Wednesday. Five people died as a result of the chaos, including a US Capitol Police officer. House Democrats have impeached Trump for a second time, citing his “incitement of insurrection.” Belichick has been supportive of Trump in the past, but was encouraged by many people to refuse the Medal of Freedom from Trump. Trump has often used the Medal of Freedom to reward his allies, whether they be financial, political or just old friends.