As of Tuesday, October 26, 2021, Montana reports 173,104 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1,132 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since yesterday: 307 new cases in Yellowstone County, 110 new cases in Cascade County, 103 new cases in Gallatin County, 92 new cases in Missoula County, 91 new cases in Lewis & Clark County, and more new cases in 47 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 10,857. Currently, 458 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 2,305 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Forty-six more people’s deaths of COVID-19 have been reported since yesterday. Nationwide, more than 738,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 45,500,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

An FDA advisory panel has approved the Pfizer vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11. The vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 is a smaller dose than the one given to those 12 and olders. Like in adults, the full vaccination series consists of two doses given three weeks apart.

Hospitals and many other health care facilities in Montana will soon face an uncomfortable choice — get employees immunized against COVID, in violation of a new state law forbidding workplace vaccine mandates, or forfeit federal dollars. The Biden administration last month announced the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid will begin requiring that staff at CMS-certified facilities throughout the country mandate COVID vaccinations for their staff in order to receive reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid.

The namesake waterfall Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park in California is flowing again after record-shattering rainfall this week following an extremely dry summer and extensive drought.