As of Wednesday, October 6, 2021, Montana reports 156,079 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1,324 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since yesterday: 237 new cases in Yellowstone County, 172 new cases in Flathead County, 144 new cases in Gallatin County, 133 new cases in Lewis & Clark County, and more new cases in 43 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 11,550. Every one of Montana’s 56 counties reports active cases. Currently, 444 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 2,061 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Thirteen more people’s deaths have been reported in the last day. Nationwide, more than 705,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 43,900,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

The US Department of Education announced major changes Wednesday to a federal student loan forgiveness program that could help more than 550,000 borrowers working in government and nonprofit sectors, including around 22,000 borrowers who will automatically be eligible for student loan forgiveness without needing to take additional steps. Through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, the government forgives remaining federal student loan debt for qualifying public-sector workers after they have made monthly payments for 10 years.

Montana state scientists and epidemiologists at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services sent a letter Sept. 17 to director Adam Meier and to Republican Governor Greg Gianforte, criticizing an August emergency rule discouraging school mask mandates, saying some claims made by the rule were “misleading and false.” The letter from Senior Epidemiologist Lisa Richidt was co-signed by 17 additional staff epidemiologists.

A 20-year-old woman from Washington suffered significant burns after rescuing her dog after it jumped into a hot pool on Oct. 4 in Yellowstone National Park. The dog jumped into Maiden’s Grave Spring near the Firehole River. The woman jumped into the hot spring to retrieve the dog, and suffered burns on most of her body, between her shoulders and feet.