CHEYENNE — According to the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH), four Fremont County residents, all previously identified as laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 Coronavirus patients, have died.
“These announcements are difficult to make,” Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist with WDH said.
The four deaths include an older man, older woman, adult woman and adult man. All of them had been hospitalized and were Northern Arapaho tribal members. Two of the four had existing conditions that put them at higher risk of serious illness related to the virus, the WDH press release states.
“I want to extend my condolences to the Northern Arapaho Tribe and to the families of the four people that passed away last night due to COVID-19. These deaths highlight the insidious nature of the illness, as both the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes took advanced protective measures early on, including through an aggressive testing strategy,” Governor Mark Gordon said in a press release.
“I want to commend each of the sovereign nations for taking those early steps for the safety of Wind River Reservation communities. I continue to communicate regularly with Tribal leadership regarding both State and tribal strategies for handling the mounting challenges posed by COVID-19,” Gov. Gordon said. “During my conversation with Chairman Spoonhunter today, we agreed that the Tribes and the State must coordinate our response for the health of Wyoming citizens, as we are all in this together.”
WDH statistics from April 21 show of those tested positive for COVID-19, 16.1 percent of the cases have resulted in hospitalizations, while 78.3 have not. However, the WDH notes these numbers only reflect the hospitalizations reported to the WDH.
So far, 40.1 percent of Wyoming COVID-19 patients have reported underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or lung disease, while 46.6 percent have not.
Wyoming currently has 322 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 119 probable cases, 254 recovered and six deaths.
“We’ve talked a lot about who has the highest risk of hospitalization and death related to this disease and that is important information,” Harrist said in a press release. “But the truth is anyone can get sick with COVID-19, anyone has a chance of a serious illness and anyone who is infected can pass COVID-19 on to others.”
Note: This story has been edited to include Governor Mark Gordon’s comments and new WDH statistics.
THE LATEST COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS NEWS & INFO FROM THE WYOMING DEPT. OF HEALTH
What to do if you feel sick: If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and are showing symptoms, please call your primary care provider or seek medical attention.
Please follow these tips to slow the spread of this virus:
- Follow Public Health Orders
- Practice social distancing of 6 feet or more.
- Wear cloth face coverings in public settings, especially when physical distancing of at least 6 feet isn’t available.
- Stay home when sick and avoid other people unless you need medical attention.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Older people and those with health conditions that mean they have a higher chance of getting seriously ill should avoid close-contact situations.
- Long-term care and healthcare facilities should follow guidelines for infection control and prevention.
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