COVID on rise in county

As frigid temperatures visit the Valley, snow falls, and cold and flu season begin, the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) are still being felt seven months after the first cases were reported.

Over the weekend, Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) Superintendent Jim Copeland announced that three staff members had recently tested positive for COVID-19. Two staff members working in the northern part of the school district had tested positive and one staff member at Saratoga Elementary School (SES) had tested positive.

The two positives in the Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow area were a result of CCSD2’s ongoing random testing. Copeland stated in the announcement that 11 staff members were tested on October 22. The one positive from SES was a result of testing done outside the district’s program. All three individuals were on a 14 day quarantine and contact tracing was being conducted by Carbon County Public Health.

“COVID-19 positives across the CCSD2 area are increasing,” wrote Copeland in his announcement. “Therefore, we ask that you keep any student with a symptom home and please contact your medical provider if you or any family member experiences symptoms. Please follow all health protocols of social distancing and wearing face coverings when at school.”

On Monday, the daily situational debrief released by the Carbon County COVID-19 Incident Management Team showed that the numbers in the county were continuing to climb. As of October 20, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began was at 245 and there were 27 active cases among local residents. By October 26, the number of active cases had increased to 53 with the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began at 279.

This increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19 follows a state-wide trend. According to data on the Wyoming Department of Health website, there had been 387 confirmed cases within the past 24 hours as of Monday. There has also been an increase in COVID-19 related deaths, as the Wyoming Department of Health announced nine new deaths related to the virus within the past week, bringing the total to 77 since the pandemic began.

While Carbon County is seeing a rise in cases, it appears that the more densely populated counties are seeing a larger rise. As of Monday, Albany County had 1,229 positive cases since the pandemic began while Laramie County had 1,137, Natrona County had 1,116 and Fremont County had 1,115.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 9,783 confirmed cases with 6,552 of those confirmed cases having recovered. Additionally, there have been 1,694 probable cases with 1,123 of those having recovered. There are currently 3,802 active cases in Wyoming.

Health officials continue to encourage washing of hands often and well, covering coughs and sneezes, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects that may be contaminated and wearing a mask or face cover in public places. Anyone with a fever, cough or influenza-like symptoms is encouraged to stay home and call their medical provider. Anyone who has traveled to an area of high transmission in the last 14 days or who has been in close contact with someone known to have COVID-19 is also encouraged to stay at home and call their medical provider.