COVID-19

The humidity of where you live can play a big role in how long airborne viruses can survive. CU Boulder researchers found coronavirus particles released in a low-humidity environment remained infectious for twice as long than those in a more humid chamber.

Wyoming’s oil production had a relatively strong year after taking a hit during the pandemic, although natural gas saw a slight decline, according to a summary report from the Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS).

The American Automobile Association predicts national travel will be back up to pre-pandemic levels, with 54.6 million people traveling more than 50 miles for the holiday.

Health officials across the Mountain West are facing a triple threat of increased infections of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Many hospitals, especially pediatric facilities, report being short on staff and beds as they grapple with a surge in patients.

The Natrona Collective Health Trust in collaboration with the Wyoming Community Foundation has allocated over $2 million to improve the health and well-being of the county. $350,000 is being allocated over several years to organizations and nonprofits to help alleviate effects of COVID-19, such as suicide prevention and vaccine education and distribution efforts.

New Department of Education data out Monday shows that student math and reading scores have suffered over the last few years. Between 2019 and this year, data shows that fourth and eighth grade scores suffered the most in math, but reading scores also took a hit.

Though the death rate in rural America has decreased since the end of September, it is still significantly higher than in urban areas.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted seemingly every sector of the global economy. And those impacts are continuing to make their mark on the national and Wyoming economies. Wyoming Public Radio’s Hugh Cook asked Wenlin Liu of the state’s Department of Administration and Information's Economic Analysis Division how the Cowboy state is holding up after COVID.

Animal Shelters in Wyoming have seen an increase in surrenders and stray animals in the past year leading to high-capacity issues. Recently, a University of Florida report found that in many places, this high capacity is due to the decrease in spay and neuter surgeries during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in Wyoming, there's more to it than just that.

About 8 million people have received the COVID-19 bivalent booster shot nationwide — less than 3% of the eligible U.S. population.