Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

WORLAND — Eleven students from Worland schools are out on quarantine this week, according to Business Manager Jack Stott.

Stott emphasized that none of those quarantines were a result of school attendance.

He noted that last week the district also had one staff member test positive for COVID-19.

“They had been on site for 1-plus days when they might have been infectious. Contact tracing did not indicate that anyone needed to be quarantined, primarily because of proper social distancing and wearing masks where social distancing was not possible.”

In the past week, numbers in Washakie County have increased by 12 with the increase considered community spread. According to the Washakie County COVID team and Public Health they know that there is community spread; however, they are still doing investigations on some of the newer cases to better determine if any of them are linked.

There are 19 active cases in the county as of Monday, with the majority (six) in the 50 to 59 age, there is three in the 80 and older age group, two each in the 30-39, 40-49, 60-69 and 70-79 age group, one unknown as of Monday and one in the 19-29 age group.

According to WCPH, there is a lot of misinformation circulating, so they offered the following facts:

•A person cannot test out of isolation and quarantine. It is recommended that close contacts of confirmed cases do get tested, but a negative test does not mean they can resume normal activities. After contact with a positive case, there is a 14-day window in which a person can become ill. If someone gets tested on Day 7 of their quarantine and it is negative, there are still seven more days in which they can become ill. They must remain in quarantine the full 14 days.

•Testing is widely available. If you don’t feel well, please get tested. Tests are extremely accurate now and the turn-around time for results is extremely short.

•If you test positive for COVID-19, you will receive a call from the WDH for contact tracing. Please answer their phone call, or call them back as soon as possible. Please identify your household and other close contacts. It is important that close contacts of cases be quarantined so that they do not continue to spread the disease in the community.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

The state saw an all-time high in hospitalizations on Monday, the Casper Star Tribune reporting 73 COVID patients hospitalized.

There are two COVID patients at Washakie Medical Center at this time.

Washakie Medical Center CEO Jay Stallings said, “Because the coronavirus is highly contagious and there is a known community wide-spread transmission, masking and social distancing is and has been our messaging to our community since this virus came to our state.

“Our No. 1 priority is ensuring the safety of our team members and the community and we do this by being diligent in our screening and safety protocols.”

As for staffing availability at WMC, Stallings said, “We do have several staff members out at any given time, for personal time (hunting season) and occasional personal or family illness. Due to health information privacy regulations, we don’t disclose the health status of our staff and patients, but we pride ourselves on being a safe place to give and receive care. Our safety protocols involve screening everyone that enters the hospital, including employees, checking temperatures and screening for symptoms found to be prevalent in COVID-19 positive cases. If an employee has a symptom, including those associated with respiratory issues prevalent with flu and the common cold, they are asked to stay home for designated amount of days, depending on the symptom.

“We have a Return to Work policy and process which are in place to help monitor the safety and health of our employees as well as patients and visitors. The community should rest assured that the hospital is a safe place to receive care.

“We are constantly managing our Personal Protection Equipment to make sure everyone is protected and our protocols are up to date and we consistently follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Through Banner Health we have great technology, education, training, expectations for high quality care, as well as the latest in Rapid Response Testing (able to test for flu and COVID-19) and consistent access to PPE and supplies. We are proud of the relationship we have with the Wyoming Department of Health and foster a very close working relationship with its local office.

“We continue to take care of our friends, family and neighbors within our community and surrounding areas. We believe we are the best option for our community because of our phenomenal team and services available to us.

“We are proud to serve Washakie County and the surrounding areas. We encourage all to observe safe practices including masking, good hand-washing and safe distancing.”

FREE HOME TESTING

Last week, Governor Mark Gordon made free, at-home COVID-19 testing available to the state’s residents.

The saliva test is administered by Vault Health and allows residents to get results at home without needing to visit a healthcare provider. Wyoming has purchased 75,000 tests and could obtain additional tests if needed. The program will supplement currently available testing options that include private health care providers, hospitals and some pharmacies.

The Governor is utilizing Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds for the testing program. The White House has said that expanded testing will greatly improve Wyoming’s ability to track the epidemic, particularly when activities move back indoors.

“This at-home, non-invasive testing option is another tool to help Wyoming slow the spread of this virus,” Governor Gordon said. “It’s one more way we can help protect our vulnerable populations, keep businesses open, and make sure our hospital beds are available to those who need them.” 

To take advantage of the free testing, visit https://www.vaulthealth.com/covid and order a collection kit.

As COVID-19 cases rise statewide, the Governor and the Wyoming Department of Health continue to strongly recommend the use of masks in public settings where it is not possible or reasonable to stay physically apart. The WDH also continues to stress the importance of staying home when ill.

Wyoming’s Public Health Orders have been extended without changes through the end of the month. The new orders can be found on Wyoming’s COVID-19 website.