Over 70 vaccine program begins

As vaccines continue to roll-out across the state and Carbon County, the staff of Carbon County Public Health are preparing to vaccinate residents over 70 years of age. This comes as the first confirmed case of the "UK Variant" of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was confirmed in a Teton County resident on Saturday.

The first doses of the Moderna vaccine were given on January 19 to senior residents in Rawlins. From there, Carbon County Public Health will travel throughout the county for the rest of the month to administer the first dose. Senior residents in the Valley will be able to get their first doses on January 21.

Public health staff will be at the Platte Valley Community Center from 9 a.m. to noon and at the Encampment Senior Center from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. On January 26, Carbon County Public Health will be in northeast Carbon County as they visit the Hanna, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow areas.

Public health will be set up at the Elk Mountain Senior Center from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., at the Hanna Senior Center from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and at the Medicine Bow Senior Center from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

From there, Carbon County Public Health will visit the Little Snake River Valley on January 27. Vaccines will be administered from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Baggs Senior Center and from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Dixon Senior Center.

Vaccines are on a first come, first serve basis and at this time residents cannot be placed on a list. Those wishing to receive the vaccine are required to print and fill out a COVID Vaccine Consent form (https://health.wyo.gov/publichealth/immunization/wyoming-covid-19-vaccine-information/covid-vaccine-consent-form-template/) and are asked to bring their insurance card to bill insurance for administrative costs.

Social distancing and face masks are also required.

The second dose of the vaccines will begin to be administered on February 16 in Rawlins and follow the same route as the first doses.

Carbon County has seen 1,021 lab confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March 2020 and, of those, 975 have recovered. There have also been 77 probable cases and, of those, 73 have recovered. There have been a total of 522 COVID-related deaths in Wyoming since March with 16 of those connected to Carbon County.

On January 16, Wyoming Department of Public Health announced the first confirmed case of the "UK Variant" of the coronavirus in Teton County. The new variant, commonly known as B-117, is a more contagious form of the novel coronavirus.

A statewide mask mandate is still in effect. Public health officials continue to stress social distancing, washing hands often and well, and cleaning and disinfecting high traffic surfaces.