Deaths related to COVID-19 increase in county/state

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
The number of deaths in Weston County related to COVID-19 increased to four last week, according to information from the Wyoming Department of Health. 
On both Jan. 5 and Jan. 7, the department reported new deaths, both identified as women with health conditions contributing to an increased chance of death related to
the illness. One was a resident of a local long-term care facility, and
the other was reportedly hospitalized. 
Across Wyoming, 522 total deaths have been associated with COVID-19, as of Tuesday morning. The most recently reported death marks the first death associated with the Weston County Manor. The nursing home has reported a total of nine confirmed cases among residents. 
Statewide, a total of 1,152 long-term care facility residents have tested positive for COVID-19, with 132 deaths. According to information from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, the total confirmed cases represent 3.54% of the total long-term care facility population, while the number of deaths make up 28.45% of the 464 deaths reported at long-term care facilities in the last year. 
Despite its death count going up, Weston County’s other COVID-19-related statistics have continued to decline. 
The county is reported as having the lowest confirmed positive rate in the state for the past 14-days, according to the New York Times. Weston County’s average daily cases per 100,000 is at 12 for the past 14 days. The actual average number of cases over the same period is 0.9. 
According to the Department of Health, the county has recorded 16 total cases in the past 14 days, although no positive cases have been reported in the past seven. To date, Weston County has had 400 total lab-confirmed cases and 85 probable cases. As of Jan. 11, only seven of those cases are active. 
Statewide, there have been 40,554 lab-confirmed cases and another 6,841 probable cases. On Jan. 11, 1,595 of those cases were active. 
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Weston County has performed a total of 3,289 tests for the disease, with a positivity rate of 5.38%. Across Wyoming, a total of 535,614 tests have been conducted, with 7.6% of those coming back positive. 
Gov. Mark Gordon released his 19th continuation of the state’s statewide public health orders that first went into effect in March. The most recent updates, announced on Jan. 2, include the continued statewide face-covering order. The hours-of-operation restrictions on bars and restaurants were removed. 
Issued on Nov. 17, Wyoming’s mask mandate has been in effect for 49 days.  Statistically, 48.75% of all confirmed cases have happened after the mandate went into effect. According to information from the CDC, 23,193 of Wyoming’s total cases occurred before the mask mandate, while the remaining 22,064 were recorded after Nov. 17. 
Weston County’s mask mandate did not go into effect until Dec. 7, and since that time, the county has recorded 141 cases, or 29.44% of all cases, with 338 confirmed before the mask mandate went into effect.