STATEWIDE – A Johnson County man with underlying health conditions became the state’s first COVID-19-related casualty after he succumbed to the novel coronavirus on Monday, and just two days later an older male in Laramie County passed away due to COVID-19 complications.  
According to a press release from the Wyoming Department of Health, the Johnson County patient was an older male with previous health conditions that put him at a higher risk of a severe case of the novel coronavirus. The Laramie County victim had been hospitalized as a result of COVID-19 complications.
State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist said the state’s measures against COVID-19 were created to prevent as many deaths as possible.
“Unfortunately, we’ve seen this disease touch another Wyoming family in the worst way,” Harrist said on Wednesday
“This is a sad development we hoped we wouldn’t see in Wyoming and we want this person’s family to know they have our sympathy,” Harrist said. “The advice we’ve been offering and actions we’ve taken ultimately come down to preventing as many serious illnesses and deaths connected to this disease as we can.”
While the state’s case count continues to grow daily, the number of recovered patients continues to grow as well. As of Tuesday evening, there were 282 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wyoming with 101 additional probable cases, which are symptomatic close contacts of known cases. To date, 164 patients have recovered.
In Goshen County, there are three lab-confirmed cases and one probable case. One of those diagnosed cases has recovered.
The WDH announced Tuesday that a five-person team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on its way to Wyoming to assist the WDH in its efforts against coronavirus. According to the press release, the team was invited by Harrist and will assist the WDH with data systems and analysis; prevention, infection control and containment of infections in long-term care and psychiatric facilities; community mitigation and infection prevention and control among tribal communities; and case identification and contact tracing.
Contract tracing is identifying and contacting the close contacts of both lab-confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases to identify people who are at an increased risk. According to Harrist, it has been a key strategy in keeping the disease contained.
“We feel it’s been a helpful technique and one that our lower population has so far allowed to continue,” she said.

Statewide Developments

Wyoming News Exchange

Gordon praised:
Dr. Athony Fauci, the nation’s most prominent infectious disease expert, praised Gordon for his efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus by closing schools and certain businesses and prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people. Fauci, who leads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said he was pleased with the state’s “commitment they’re putting in to making sure that we don’t have the situations that we’ve experienced unfortunately in other areas, this is very important.”
Local enforcement:
Cheyenne’s City Council on Monday rejected a proposal to give Cheyenne police more authority to enforce the state’s health orders on social distancing. Police can now enforce the orders closing some businesses and limiting gatherings to 10 people, but the only punishment available is a fine of up to $1,000 and up to a year in jail. The ordinance rejected would have let police issue tickets carrying $50 fines for those who violated social distancing guidelines.
The council did approve an emergency ordinance allowing liquor deliveries.
Traveling less:
A “mobility report” by Google shows that travel by Wyoming residents to retail locations has dropped by 37 percent since Gordon issued the orders closing schools and some businesses and limiting gatherings to 10 people. The study, which used information from Google Maps to track the movement of the app’s users, also showed a 27 percent drop in travel to business offices since the orders took effect.
Cluster of cases:
Almost half of Natrona County’s 33 coronavirus cases have been tracked to the Wyoming Behavioral Institute in Casper. At least 16 cases were linked to a mixture of staff and patients at the facility.
Antibody panel:
St. John’s Health in Jackson has appointed a panel to review possible antibody tests for coronavirus and recommend one for use at the hospital. The 10-member panel will look at three tests for use in testing first responders and health care workers. The tests used most widely around the country use nasal swabs to detect coronavirus, indicating whether a person is infected. Antibody tests search for the antibodies created when the body fights an infection, allowing users to determine if someone has coronavirus even if they are not showing symptoms.
Relief donation:
Black Hills Energy is donating $30,500 to coronavirus relief efforts in Wyoming. The donation is part of a $375,000 gift made to eight states in Black Hills’ service area. In Wyoming, the company donated $10,000 to First Lady Jenny Gordon’s Wyoming Hunger Initiative.
Pilgrimage canceled:
This year’s Heart Mountain Pilgrimage, scheduled for July, has been canceled because of concerns about coronavirus. Every summer since 2011, hundreds of visitors have made the “pilgrimage” to the site where more than 14,000 Japanese Americans were held during Worland War II. “The pilgrimage is our favorite time of the year and we will miss seeing all of you,” Shirley Ann Higuchi, chair of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, wrote in a message. “But your safety, and the safety of our members, supporters and families comes first.”