As of Tuesday, December 21, 2021, Montana reports 195,171 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 248 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since Friday: 65 new cases in Gallatin County, 39 new cases in Yellowstone County, 35 new cases in Flathead County, 30 new cases in Missoula County, and more new cases in 25 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 1,645. Currently, 127 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 2,889 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Eleven more people’s deaths have been reported since yesterday. Nationwide, more than 807,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 51,200,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

The first confirmed U.S. death related to Omicron variant was a Texas man in his 50s who was unvaccinated and had previously been infected with the coronavirus. The man was at higher risk of severe complications from Covid-19 due to his unvaccinated status and underlying health conditions.

The omicron variant has been detected in Gallatin County, marking the first case of the new strain of the coronavirus to be identified in Montana. Two people in their 30s who had traveled from South Africa, where the omicron variant first appeared, tested positive for coronavirus.

Fifteen wolves have been killed in two wolf management units directly north of Yellowstone National Park so far this winter in the wolf hunting season, and wolf trapping hasn’t even begun yet. The numbers from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks have some worrying about how the state’s wolf trapping season will further diminish populations in Yellowstone.