Still no cases in county

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Weston County has made it another week without a confirmed case of COVID-19 within Weston County although local health officials believe it is only a matter of time. 
The lack of cases within the county is not the result of a lack of testing, said Dr. Mike Jording, public health officer. He noted that all three healthcare facilities within the county are testing patients if they meet the requirements. 
Monument Health this week indicated that they were updating their questions for patients, in accordance with updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The questions regarding symptoms, according to Monument’s website are cough and shortness of breath, or at least two of the following symptoms: Fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell.
There is an online assessment on the webpage, monument.health/covid-19-south-dakota, to be taken before calling a triage line at (605) 755-1350 or (800) 279-1466. The updated assessment Q&A also includes questions regarding underlying conditions. Monument Health also offers antibody testing for a fee of $100.
As of Tuesday, May 5, the Wyoming Department of Health reported that a total of 72 tests had been performed within the county, none of which resulted in a positive. Statewide, 11,855 tests have been performed. 
Numbers reported by the Department of Health at 3 p.m. on Tuesday show confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state climbing to 452. The department is also reporting 152 probable cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths related to the disease. 
Across the state, counties and communities have begun to open up closed businesses after Gov. Mark Gordon relaxed some of the health orders implemented six weeks ago on May 1. Jording told the Weston County Commissioners on Tuesday that the county task force would be submitting their plan to the state, and once the approval was given the community could begin opening up, as long as everything stays positive and people follow guidelines. On Monday, according to a Facebook post from Don Steveson, a member of the task force, the requested orders include relaxing restrictions to allow for inside and outside service in restaurants and bars with certain health and safety provisions in place, as well as precautions for religious worship.
“If the approved orders do not meet the needs of a specific establishment or place of worship, further exemptions can still be proposed to Dr. Jording and the state for review and approval,” Steveson wrote. “We are all working together to make sure the re-opening of Weston County is done efficiently and responsibly while avoiding a surge in COVID-19 cases. We all know we live in a rural area that may not have the resources immediately available to treat a surge of cases, as well as patients suffering from other serious conditions, so careful and thoughtful planning to re-open is paramount as we move forward.”