Coronavirus In Wyoming: Resources & News

  • Alissa Eckert, MS, Dan Higgins, MAMS

Wyoming Public Media is here to keep you current on the news surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. 

Updated 3:30 p.m. 6/4/2020

There are now 709 confirmed cases and 212 probable cases of COVID-19 in Wyoming. Campbell, Fremont, Sweetwater and Washakie counties reported new cases on Thursday.

Fremont County (255) continues to report the highest number in the state due in part to a large scale testing program there.

All counties in Wyoming now have a confirmed case of the illness: Laramie 122; Teton 69; Natrona 65; Washakie 34; Sweetwater 24; Albany 23; Campbell 19; Converse and Johnson counties have 14 cases each; Sheridan 12; Lincoln 11; Uinta 10; Carbon nine; Hot Springs eight; Crook five; Goshen four; Park two; Niobrara, Platte, Sublette, and Weston counties have one case each.

On Sunday, the Wyoming Department of Health reported the state's 17th coronavirus-related death. The Fremont County woman had previously tested positive for the illness and was hospitalized. There weren't any known conditions that would have put her at higher risk.

The Wyoming Department of Health reports that 562 lab-confirmed cases have recovered and 173 probable cases have recovered across the state.

The Wyoming Public Health Lab has completed 14,464 tests. Commercial labs reported completing 12,312 tests, and one test was completed by the CDC.

(Commercial labs are required to report positive test results to WDH; negative results are not reported consistently.)

Governor Mark Gordon's Press Briefings

Press Conference on COVID-19, May 27, 2020

State Orders -- Updated May 27, 2020

The Wyoming State Health Officer has issued the following public health orders:

Statewide Gatherings

The Wyoming State Health Officer has issued the following public health orders:

On March 27, Gov. Mark Gordon made further changes to his orders regarding public gatherings. The governor's updated orders allow for outdoor gatherings of up to 250 people to occur after June 1, with social distancing and increased sanitization measures in place.

On May 15, many restrictions under the above public health orders were eased. Restaurants may offer outdoor and indoor dining under certain guidelines, including but not limited to: staff that come within six feet of customers or other staff must wear face coverings; tables must be at least six feet apart; and tables must be limited to groups of six people, preferably of the same household.

The new public health orders also ease certain restrictions to other public gathering areas, including gyms, salons, movie theatres, performance venues, as well as churches, faith-based organizations, and funeral homes. For more details to each of the restrictions, please see links to public health orders above.

State Parks campgrounds were opened on May 15 for Wyoming residents only.

The prohibition does not apply to gatherings at private residences, hotels and motels for lodging purposes, government facilities and businesses, grocery stores and retail or business establishments that can provide adequate social distance spacing of 6 feet or more. Healthcare facilities are also exempt, as are long-term care and assisted living facilities that are complying with Wyoming Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control directives.

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.

News & Updates:

Resources:

Do you have specific questions about the virus in Wyoming, you or your family’s health, what this means for your job, your home and your town's economy? Please submit them here and we'll do our best to report the information you need.

We also want to hear from you on how your community is responding. Tell us what you're seeing, hearing and experiencing in your neighborhood, grocery store and beyond.

On social media, use the hashtag #COVID19WY.

Ways to Connect

Race, Ethnicity Data To Be Required With Coronavirus Tests In U.S.

By • 11 hours ago

All laboratories will now be required to include detailed demographic data when they report the results of coronavirus tests to the federal government, including the age, sex, race and ethnicity of the person tested, the Trump administration announced Thursday.

The new requirement, which will go into effect Aug. 1, is designed to help provide long-sought, crucial information needed to monitor and fight the pandemic nationally.

Rent Assistance Key To People Staying In Their Homes, Groups Say

By • 15 hours ago

As employers continue to lay off workers at unprecedented levels, every state in the Mountain West has some kind of rent assistance program in place. Low-income housing advocates hope those programs, and their funding, can keep up with the ongoing need.

New Unemployment Claims Dip Below 2 Million In Sign Pace Of Job Losses May Be Easing

By • 19 hours ago

Updated at 8:47 a.m. ET

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed unemployment to its highest level since the Great Depression, but the pace of layoffs has been easing. And there are now some signs that the job market could slowly start to recover.

The Labor Department says another 1.87 million people filed claims for unemployment insurance last week. That's down 249,000 from the previous week. While still very high by historical standards, the number has been declining steadily from a peak of 6.8 million the week ending March 28.

NIH Director Hopes For At Least 1 Safe And Effective Vaccine By Year's End

By • 23 hours ago

As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases globally approaches 6.5 million, scientists are racing to develop a vaccine. Currently, there are 10 vaccine candidates in development around the world that are in the beginnings of human trials.

No Evidence Hydroxychloroquine Is Helpful In Preventing COVID-19, Study Finds

By • Jun 3, 2020

Taking hydroxychloroquine after being exposed to someone with COVID-19 does not protect someone from getting the disease.

That's the conclusion of a study published Wednesday involving 821 participants. All had direct exposure to a COVID-19 patient, either because they lived with one, or were a health care provider or first responder.

Northern Community Colleges To Start Fall Semester A Week Early

By • Jun 3, 2020
Northern Wyoming Community College District

The Northern Wyoming Community College District will be reopening its campuses this fall, but with some changes. Students will be able to utilize both in-person and online courses for the upcoming academic year.

Classes will begin on August 24, which is a week earlier than usual.

On June 20th, Cody Nite Rodeo Will Welcome Up To 600 People

By • Jun 3, 2020
by Billy Hathorn via CC BY-SA 3.0

A nightly rodeo in Cody is set to start June 20, after a second variance request was approved for the Cody Nite Rodeo. The approved variance allows a maximum of 600 people in the stadium.

Is It Safe Yet To Get Your Physical Or A Dental Checkup?

By Alan Yu • Jun 3, 2020

Many hospitals, clinics and dental offices in some places across the U.S. are beginning to open now for routine, preventative care that was postponed in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. But still, patients wonder: Is it safe to go?

Tribes Extend Wind River Stay-At-Home Order As Border Towns Re-Open

By • Jun 2, 2020
Savannah Maher

The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Business Councils have extended a strict stay-at-home order and nightly 9 p.m. curfew on the Wind River Reservation, measures intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. Tribal members will continue to face tribal court fines and potential jail time for violations at least through the month of June.

USDA Acts Fast To Help Schools Offer Families Take-Out, Grocery Money

By • Jun 2, 2020

A little boy in an orange shirt walks up to a grab-and-go meal site at an elementary school in Salt Lake City, Utah. A school worker wearing a mask uses a bullhorn to let kitchen staff know the boy's there. Then a staffer sets a bag lunch and some extra strawberries on a table and backs away.

 


Survey: Western States Stand Out In Supporting Voting By Mail

By • Jun 2, 2020

As the United States prepares for a general election complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, a new national survey finds that most Americans support making it easier to vote by mail in November.

 


How To Get Sleep In Uneasy Times

By • Jun 2, 2020

Having trouble getting to sleep these days? You're not alone. For people with a history of insomnia, sleep problems are magnified right now. And many who never struggled before are suddenly experiencing interruptions in their nightly rest or difficulty falling asleep.

After Days Of Demonstrations, Denver Says It Will Give Free COVID-19 Tests To Protesters

By • Jun 1, 2020

Weekend protests drew crowds across the country including in the Mountain West, from hundreds in Boise and Reno to thousands in Denver. Some city leaders now worry such gatherings could lead to new outbreaks of COVID-19.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced Sunday that the city will be offering free tests to demonstrators. 

Mountain West In Memoriam: Luis Frias

By • Jun 1, 2020

The Mountain West News Bureau is talking to friends and relatives of those who lost their lives to COVID-19.

Luis Frias was an international dancer who took his two daughters wherever he performed on tour. His eldest, Luisa, remembers playing on the beach in Australia and watching packed stadiums from the Superdome in New Orleans to Madison Square Garden.

Protesting Racism Versus Risking COVID-19: 'I Wouldn't Weigh These Crises Separately'

By • Jun 1, 2020

Mass protests that have erupted over police brutality toward black people in America are raising concerns about the risk of spreading the coronavirus. But some health experts, even as they urge caution, said they support the demonstrations — because racism also poses a dire health threat.

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