How does Park County look from a pandemic perspective and 2020 hindsight?
As always, Park County Public Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin is keeping tabs on the ongoing situation in our communities. As 2020 draws to a close, the overall picture is somber.
As of Sunday, Dec. 27, there were 1,728 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Park County – 15% of those cases confirmed within the last two weeks. At the time of Dr. Billin’s tally, 140 of those cases were active with 11 people hospitalized, and 1588 people had recovered.
The official number of COVID-19 deaths in Park County is seven, but there are six more that have yet to be reported by the Wyoming Department of Health. That brings the county’s total death count to 13.
Cody, unsurprisingly, has seen the most cases of any Park County town – 43 active and 887 recovered. Powell has 52 active cases and 629 recovered, Meeteetse less than 5 active and 19 recovered. No part of the county has been untouched.
The rest of the Bighorn Basin has also seen significant COVID-19 figures:
- 648 confirmed cases and 19 deaths in Big Horn County
- 195 confirmed cases and 1 death in Hot Springs County
- 603 confirmed cases and 16 deaths in Washakie County
Wyoming has recorded 37,623 cases and 405 deaths related to COVID-19 since the pandemic reach the state. More men than women have died, with 43.7% of those deaths among people 80 years old and older.
November proved to be the worst month of the pandemic so far, with 210 deaths – over 50% of 2020’s total – reported in that month alone.
While vaccines are being distributed to prioritized and highest-risk individuals and more doses are being produced, there is still a long way to go before the pandemic is truly conquered.
The Wyoming Department of Health has laid out its plan for the next dose of Pfizer vaccines, expected to reach the state in the next few weeks. Not much has changed, as many of these vaccines will be the second doses to be received by the frontline healthcare providers inoculated earlier this month.
There will be a bigger push to vaccinate residents of long-term care and assisted living facilities. The federal government has partnered with two pharmacy chains and local public health offices to begin administering vaccines as soon as mid-January.
There’s no word on when the vaccine will be available to the general public, but preparations at entities like CVS, Walgreens, and Albertsons are underway. Wyoming’s mask mandate remains in effect until Monday, Jan. 4, and Park County’s until Jan. 8.
