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County’s COVID-19 death toll at 30

County’s COVID-19 death toll at 30

Community is asked to continue taking precautions

Sweetwater County’s death toll as a result of COVID-19 stands at 30, according to the Sweetwater County District Board of Health.

Sweetwater County Public Health Director Kim Lionberger said the Wyoming Department of Health recently confirmed the deaths of six Sweetwater County residents. Those deaths include:

  • A Green River man, age 61-75, died the week of Dec. 27-Jan. 2.
  • A Sweetwater County man, age 76 or older, living out of state, died the week of Dec. 27-Jan. 2.
  • A Superior man, age 77 or older, died the week of Jan. 3-9.
  • A Rock Springs woman, age 61-75, died the week of Jan. 3-9.
  • A Green River man, age 61-75, died the week of Jan. 3-9.
  • A Rock Springs woman, age 45-60, died the week of Jan. 10-16.

While the county’s positivity rate is going down, healthcare professionals stress the need to continue to be vigilant with precautions. The county’s recent 14-day rolling average is at a 7.6% positivity rate, compared to the double-digit percentages seen not long ago.

Sweetwater County is receiving 2,100 to 2,200 doses of COVID-19 vaccine each month. It’s not enough to immediately inoculate everyone who wants the vaccine, Lionberger said.

The vaccines are offered to those in groups established by the Wyoming Department of Health.

“We’re expecting the state to update the Phase 1b group to include those 65 or older with health conditions, and to expand employment services,” she said. “Our 1b category will increase, with no anticipation of vaccine to cover that. We will be in 1b for a while until we get enough vaccine to meet the demand we are seeing.”

That’s why it is important to continue masking, to physically distance and washing your hands, she said. As some restrictions ease, there is a fear that positive cases again could rise.

“Complacency will only boost the positivity rate and create a surge in COVID-19 cases,” Lionberger said.

As of this morning, Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County reported one patient hospitalized with COVID-19.

Deaths among Wyoming residents are added to the state’s coronavirus-related death total based on official death certificate information and the location of the person’s permanent residence, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. Deaths among Wyoming residents who pass away in other states are not counted in both states. 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.

More health and community updates can be found on the Public Health, Sweetwater Memorial and Sweetwater Cares Coalition Facebook pages, or go to sweetwatermemorial.com, sweetwatercares.com, covid19.wyo.gov, and cdc.gov.