"Deep concern" over COVID-19 surge

Wyoming will not be implementing a mask mandate in the classroom when the next school year begins, Governor Mark Gordon announced last week. The news came as the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) expressed anxiety over the ever-increasing spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, which is thought to account for most new cases in this state.

“After months of relatively stable case numbers we have recently seen a sharp increase in most areas of the state,” said Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer, in a press release.

“We are deeply concerned. The Delta variant has really changed the COVID fight we have on our hands. Unfortunately, Wyoming’s low vaccination rate makes our state more vulnerable to this highly contagious variant.”

Infection Trends

According to WDH, a review of more than 5000 lab-confirmed and probable cases in Wyoming between May 1 and July 28 shows that around 95% of infected people said they were not fully vaccinated. During the same period, just under 94% of nearly 300 patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 did not report being fully vaccinated.

“However, no vaccine can prevent all infections and that’s why we see a small percentage of what we call ‘breakthrough’ cases,” said Harrist. “The overwhelming majority of ‘breakthrough’ cases that are identified do not involve serious illness. In other words, vaccines certainly help keep you from getting COVID-19 in the first place, but if you do get it, you are far less likely to get severely ill.”

Delta Variant

Harrist cautioned that the Delta variant needs to be taken seriously because it spreads much more easily than COVID-19 did in its original form.

“There are also concerns from experts that, as the Delta variant spreads, the number of breakthrough cases will increase,” she said.

“Because the Delta variant is essentially like COVID-19 upping its game against us, we have to fight back a little harder for now. We’ve been recommending that unvaccinated people wear masks in indoor public settings. National experts now recommend the same for vaccinated residents in areas with high COVID-19 rates and we agree.”

Even if you have previously contracted COVID-19, experts are urging you to get vaccinated. Study results released on Friday by the Centers for Disease Control show that unvaccinated people are more than twice as likely to be reinfected with COVID-19.

The study looked at reinfections in Kentucky and the results indicated that the vaccines offer better protection than natural immunity alone. Unvaccinated people were shown to have 2.34 times the odds of reinfection.

A second study released by the CDC on Friday showed that vaccines are preventing hospitalizations among the highest risk age groups and are making it more likely for patients to have a milder and shorter illness.

In Crook County, the number of cases known to involve the Delta variant has increased from one to three. Crook County Public Health reported last week that it is waiting for more information on other current cases but has reason to suspect they are also variants.

Increasing Spread

A number of concerning statistics have been reported during the last week, beginning with the news last Tuesday that the number of tested active coronavirus cases in Wyoming had passed 1000 to reach its highest point since early February. This statistic jumped by 79 on August 3 to stand at a total of 1058.

The next day, the WDH reported an increase in active cases of 245 – the largest single-day increase since mid-January. This caused the total active case count to jump again to 1303.

As the week continued, so too did the rise in cases. On Thursday, the active case count rose by another 53 to reach 1356; on Friday, it jumped to 1442 as it made its way back to the levels previously seen during the heights of the first surge at the beginning of the year; Monday saw another leap of 94, bringing the total to 1536

.The active case numbers reflect, of course, only those Wyomingites who have been voluntarily tested for the virus during this timeframe. As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the true number of cases could be much higher.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the number of hospitalizations in Wyoming due to COVID-19 leaped to 87 – another number that has not been seen since the beginning of the year. This was the highest hospitalization rate seen over the last week, with the number hovering around that level throughout.

On Tuesday, the WDH also reported ten more deaths in Wyoming due to the coronavirus, bringing the overall total to 786. This included four from Laramie County and one each from Campbell, Carbon, Fremont, Platte, Sublette and Sweetwater counties.

Mask-free Wyoming

Governor Gordon said in a press release last week that he will not be issuing a mask mandate for students and is instead committed to local control, pledging to stand behind school districts as they decide how students can return to the classroom safely. He will also be working with the WDH and Wyoming Department of Education to ensure districts are able to respond to conditions with equipment, testing and expertise.

Gordon also reminded the public of the directive he issued in May to prevent state agencies, boards and commissions from requiring “vaccine passports” to access state spaces and services. That remains in place, he said, and also encourages other entities such as businesses and local governments to follow suit.

Protection for Tenants

On Wednesday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC Director, announced she had signed an order to temporarily halt evictions after determining that the eviction of tenants for failing to make rent or housing payments “could be detrimental to public health control measures to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.”

The order expires on October 3 and applies to counties experiencing substantial or high levels of community transmission. This applies to Crook County at this time.

“The eviction moratorium allows additional time for rent relief to reach renters and to further increase vaccination rates. In the context of a pandemic, eviction moratoria – like quarantine, isolation, and social distancing – can be an effective public health measure utilized to prevent the spread of communicable disease,” states a press release from the CDC.

“Eviction moratoria facilitate self-isolation and self-quarantine by people who become ill or who are at risk of transmitting COVID-19 by keeping people out of congregate settings and in their own homes.”