Novel coronavirus infections continue to increase throughout the Cowboy State, leading to fears the state’s healthcare system will be severely impacted by hospitalizations.
The deaths of nine residents were reported by the Wyoming Department of Health Monday evening, as well as an increase of 277 active COVID-19 cases. Five of the deaths were of residents living in Big Horn County, all of whom had health conditions known to contribute to a higher risk of severe symptoms from the disease. Only one of the five had been hospitalized for treatment. Three other deaths were attributed to residents of Laramie County, Lincoln County and Platt County, all of whom were described as older residents who had been hospitalized outside Wyoming for treatment. The last death was attributed to an Albany County man who lived at an longterm care facility.
While Sweetwater County recorded 63 active cases, several counties have reported active cases into the triple digits, with two counties surpassing 500. Albany County had 634 active cases, while Laramie County had 537. Natrona County was close in crossing the 500 active case threshold, reporting 498. Those cases in Natrona County have impacted the Wyoming Medical Center, resulting in the hospital opening its COVID-19 surge unit for the first time two weeks ago. The hospital is the largest in the state.
During a press conference last week, Gov. Mark Gordon said the state has plans to expand the number of beds available to COVID-19 patients, specifically speaking about Wyoming Medical Center. Kim White, the incident commander at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County, said the hospital hasn’t met with Gordon about those plans, but said the hospital has plans to expand services if the need arises.
“MHSC could expand its own bed availability by first using our same-day surgery area to treat COVID-19 patients,” she said.
White also said agreements with other facilitates are in place for them to take the hospital’s non-COVID-19 patients if beds become scarce.
Deb Sutton, the hospital’s spokeswoman, said the hospital has only had three COVID-19 patients hospitalized at any one time, with those hospitalizations not requiring the use of ventilators.
“We have been fortunate,” she said.
But, with the number of positive cases on the raise in Sweetwater County, Sutton said it’s important for county residents to remain vigilant when following health recommendations like social distancing, wearing a facial covering and frequently washing their hands.
While the hospital has been fortunate, other high-level trauma centers in the region haven’t been. Sutton said the hospital’s regional partners, including the University of Utah, have seen high patient volumes.
“If we have patients who require high-level trauma care, we want to be certain we will be able to transport them so they can receive that care,” Sutton said. “Again, this is why it’s important to continue to do all we can to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.”
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