As of Thursday, December 30, 2021, Montana reports 197,724 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 666 new cases of coronavirus infection reported since yesterday: 170 new cases in Gallatin County, 115 new cases in Missoula County, 83 new cases in Flathead County, 62 new cases in Yellowstone County, 52 new cases in Lewis & Clark County, and more new cases in 28 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 2,741. That’s an increase of more than 500 cases since yesterday. Currently, 123 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. 2,906 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Nationwide, more than 821,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 53,700,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

At-home rapid tests have proven to be a powerful weapon in the country’s battle against the coronavirus and its latest variants, but the surge of the omicron variant has left U.S. consumers to contend with concerns about access, efficacy and rising costs among the numerous options on the market. Health experts say rapid tests remain a useful tool as the country braces for the latest surge in cases, as long as they can be obtained and are considered in the right context.

Former Democratic congressional candidate and Montana state lawmaker Kathleen Williams was appointed Wednesday to a post with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The White House announced that President Joe Biden named Williams as USDA Montana state director for rural development.

A private business jet with a landing gear malfunction landed on Bozeman airport’s main runway Wednesday night, delaying nine commercial flights by the roughly three-and-a-half hour runway closure that followed.