Updated 9/22/21
On Wednesday, the Wyoming Department of Health reported 542 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19. The death toll stands at 955.
Currently, there are 3,117 active cases in Wyoming, an increase of 359 from yesterday. The state has now seen over 86,500 cases of the virus since the pandemic began.
Hospitals report 194 people are hospitalized with COVID-19.
Just over 38.5 percent of Wyoming's population has been fully vaccinated, which is among the lowest rates in the nation.
The state reports that fully vaccinated people increased by over 600 since Monday.
(Commercial labs are required to report positive test results to WDH; negative results are not reported consistently.)
The Wyoming Department of Health is collecting data from hospitals across Wyoming on general capacity as well as COVID-19 hospitalizations. These data are shown below and are updated on a daily basis.
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Vaccinations
With federal authorization of the first vaccines meant to help prevent COVID-19, Wyoming is now administering the COVID-19 vaccine. Governor Gordon announced that all Wyoming residents ages 16 and older are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. As of 5/12/2021, the two-dose Pfizer is authorized for children 12-years-old and over, and two-dose Moderna and one dose Johnson & Johnson/Janssen are authorized for those ages 18 years-old and over.
Additional information on how to get vaccinated in each county is available from the Wyoming Department of Health and by calling 1-800-438-5795.
Safety And Effectiveness
Clinical trials found the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to be close to 95% effective at preventing patients from developing COVID-19 symptoms after two doses, given 21 and 28 days apart, respectively.
Despite concerns from some people that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has a lower rate preventing moderate illness than the other vaccines, health officials said what’s more important is its rate of preventing severe illness and death. Officials said the new vaccine is on par with the other shots, and people should not turn down the chance to take the J&J shot.
There are short-term side effects expected with each vaccine — things like fatigue, pain where the shot was given or a low fever — some of which have reportedly been pretty severe in some patients. But infectious disease specialist Dr. Joel Trachtenberg said those are normal reactions and signs the body is priming itself to protect from the virus.
Should You Take It?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone get the vaccine, even if they are at high risk for serious complications or have already had COVID-19. Preliminary studies show the vaccines are effective against the variants of virus but more research is still being done.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said that somewhere between 70-90% of the U.S. would need to get vaccinated in order to develop herd immunity, when enough of the population is immune to a disease that those who are not are still protected.
COVID-19 vaccines may still feel new, but the science used to develop them is not. In addition, no safety steps were skipped in their development. The vaccine development maintained the same high safety standards required for all vaccines. There was unprecedented investment and streamlining to reduce red tape, but no safety shortcuts. Long-term side effects from vaccines are rare and typically occur within two months of vaccination. From decades of studying other illnesses and the vaccines to help protect against them, scientists and researchers have learned that side effects typically also occur with the diseases themselves. We do know that some children and others can definitely experience serious issues from COVID-19 illness.
News & Updates:
Wyoming Public Media would like to thank and recognize all health care workers, doctors, nurses caregivers, grocery store workers, truck drivers, and delivery workers during the global pandemic.
We also want to hear from you on how your community is responding. Tell us what you're seeing, hearing and experiencing on social media, use the hashtag #COVID19WY.
- Wyoming Department of Health
- Wyoming COVID-19 Vaccine Information
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Updates
- World Health Organization Coronavirus Updates
- NPR Coronavirus Coverage
Resources:
- COVID-19.WYO.GOV
- Wyoming Technology Coronavirus Coalition
- Wyoming Coronavirus Mutual Aid & Resource Page
- Wyoming PBS
- When And How To Wash Your Hands
- CDC U.S. Map
- Johns Hopkins World Map
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Dr. Janet Woodcock, an administrative veteran of the Food and Drug Administration since the 1980s, has been acting director of the agency since January. Why is the permanent job so hard to fill?
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Pfizer and BioNTech say that early trial results show their vaccine established a strong antibody response against the coronavirus. FDA review is still needed.
