Increase of COVID cases expected despite falling #s

By: 
Mary Stewart, mary@glenrockind.com

 

There may be signs that the COVID-19 pandemic could be slowing down, however, health officials are still expecting more positive cases after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Converse County saw numbers of positive cases increase by 74 in just eight days to a total of 591 cases Dec. 1. The number of active cases has dropped from 115 to 82, according to Mary Schell at Converse County Emergency Management Agency. However, the county saw the death count rise to seven after an older woman died earlier in November, according to CCEMA. The woman had been hospitalized and had health conditions recognized as putting patients at higher risk.

Deaths among Wyoming residents are added to the state’s coronavirus-related death total based on official death certificate information. If death certificates do not describe COVID-19 as either causing or contributing to a person’s death, those deaths are not included in Wyoming’s count of coronavirus-related deaths.

The number of active coronavirus cases in Wyoming fell again Monday, marking the fourth time in five days the number of people sick with laboratory-confirmed or probable cases declined.

Despite the small decline in cases statewide, health officials at Memorial Hospital of Converse County are still expecting an increase in positive numbers after the Thanksgiving holiday that saw the highest number of travelers across the country since the pandemic started in mid-March.

“We are still seeing the number of tests increasing,” Practice Administrator at MHCC Terry Moss said. “Right now we are averaging between 8-10% positivity rate since Nov. 1.”

Fridays/Saturdays seem to be the busiest days at the respiratory clinic. The average population of patients at the hospital is between 7-12 on average but MHCC is ready for any increase of hospitalizations either because of the virus or other health related issues, Moss said.

“We are expecting and are ready for an increase in patients,” Moss said.

While some clinics across the state are offering COVID-19 tests for free, MHCC is not one that is.

“We bill your insurance for the test,” Moss said.

For those with no symptoms wanting only the test, the fee is $90. Those with symptoms will have a higher charge of $267 which includes the cost of the COVID test and office visit.

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