As of Tuesday, March 2, 2021, Montana reports 100,158 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 165 new cases reported in the last day: 30 in Gallatin County, 21 in Flathead County, 20 in Yellowstone County, 19 in Cascade County, 18 in Missoula County, and more new cases in 20 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 1,587. Currently, 83 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Yellowstone, Flathead, and Gallatin Counties. 1,372 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Fifteen more deaths have been reported in the last day. Nationwide, more than 515,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 28,700,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday the United States would have enough Covid-19 vaccine doses for every adult American by the end of May, dramatically accelerating his timeline but acknowledging the country must still be vigilant against the virus. He also announced he would direct states to prioritize teachers in their vaccination plans, reemphasizing a commitment to returning students to classrooms amid a confusing administration stance on when and how classrooms can reopen. The new date does not mean all Americans would receive shots by May 31; issues with distribution and personnel mean it could take much longer for all doses to be administered.

The governors of Texas and Mississippi both announced on Tuesday they would be lifting their states’ mask mandates and rolling back many of their Covid-19 health mandates, just one day after the CDC warned against complacency in the face of emerging coronavirus variants. On Monday, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky strongly cautioned against the very rollbacks that Abbott and Reeves are about to implement. The end of the mask mandate makes Texas, population 29 million, the largest state to end a rule aimed to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Montana’s new Republican governor Greg Gianforte lifted Montana’s statewide mask mandate in February.