CHEYENNE — According to the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH), COVID-19 Coronavirus related hospitalizations saw a slight increase in Wyoming this week, as did the number of active cases.

The WDH’s April 29 hospitalization report shows Wyoming had 27 COVID-19 related hospitalizations statewide as of Thursday, which is up from 20 last Friday. This is the highest number of hospitalizations the state has seen since March 1 when there were 28 patients.

Cheyenne Regional Medical Center had the most hospitalizations as of Thursday with 10 patients, followed by Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County with four patients. Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie, St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson, and Wyoming Medical Center in Casper all had three patients on April 29.

The WDH’s April 30 COVID-19 vaccination report shows that as of today, Wyoming has received 401,685 total doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and has administered 172,009 first doses of them, and 143,952 second doses.

The state is reporting it has administered 10,231 doses of 25,700 doses received for the single-dose Janssen vaccine. After a brief pause in administering the Janssen vaccine due to reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals who received the vaccine across the U.S., the vaccine was approved for continued use this week.

“Following a thorough safety review, including two meetings of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined that the recommended pause regarding the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted and use of the vaccine should resume,” the Federal Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s said in a joint press release.

The WDH reports there have been 49,101 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases, 48,131 case recoveries, and 707 deaths since the pandemic started in Wyoming. That means two deaths were recorded this week. The state currently has 9,041 probable cases and 357 active cases compared to 338 active cases last Friday.

According to the White House COVID-19 Task Force, Wyoming had a 1.4 percent 14-day positivity rate from April 14 to April 27. This keeps Wyoming in the “yellow zone,” which means the state has moderate transmission levels.

Last week, the positivity rate was at 2.1 percent, marking a decrease.

This week, the WDH reported that Wyoming’s two remaining COVID-19 statewide public health orders are being continued again for two more weeks. Mask use and physical distancing requirements related to educational institutions remain, and indoor events of more than 500 people may be held at 50 percent of venue capacity with specific mask protocols for large indoor events.

The updated orders will go into effect May 1 and remain through May 16.

However, due to Fremont County being a “green zone” which means their transmission levels are low, Fremont County School District No. 24 was granted an exception request to the Statewide Public Health Order No. 1. This makes face masks optional within Shoshoni schools. Exceptions can be requested by school districts within counties that have been marked as “green zones” by the White House COVID-19 Task Force.

Sweetwater County

The White House COVID-19 Task Force shows that Sweetwater County had a 4.6 percent 14-day positivity rate from April 14 to April 27. That’s a slight increase from 4.5 percent last week. This keeps Sweetwater County in the “yellow zone” meaning the county’s transmission levels are moderate.

The WDH’s April 29 hospitalization report shows Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County (MHSC) had four coronavirus-related hospitalizations as of Thursday. Last Friday there were also no hospitalizations. MHSC reported that they had four of nine Intensive Care Unit beds available on Thursday.

According to the WDH, Sweetwater County has had 4,059 lab-confirmed cases, 3,973 case recoveries, and 37 deaths since the start of the pandemic. There are currently 171 probable cases and 55 active cases. Last Friday, Sweetwater County had 39 active cases.