It was just a matter of time. The Wyoming Department of Health announced Wednesday night that the state’s public health laboratory had identified the first case of COVID-19 coronavirus in the state. The patient is identified only as an adult female from Sheridan County who had been traveling domestically recently.
State Epidemiologist Dr. Alexia Harrist says the department of health is following up to learn more details about where the woman may have been exposed and to determine who may have been in close contact with her and so also be exposed. Those individuals will then be monitored for symptoms and tested if needed.
Dr. Harrist says the symptoms reported with this disease are familiar – fever, cough, and shortness of breath. She notes that the current risk of transmission in Wyoming remains low for most residents. However, she adds that travelers to certain affected locations and close contacts to ill people are at the highest risk of contracting the disease. It is believed that people are most contagious when they are most ill with obvious symptoms. Further details about this first case were not immediately available.
Governor Mark Gordon posted this notice on Facebook, “Wyoming has confirmed the first known case of a state resident with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The individual is an adult female from Sheridan County with some recent domestic travel history.
We have been planning for this situation for weeks and will continue our coordinated efforts to address this threat. We will continue to work closely with our state agencies, federal partners and local officials to implement all necessary steps to protect public health.
The current risk of transmission in Wyoming remains low for most residents. The Wyoming Department of Health is following up to learn more details about the person’s exposure risk and to identify anyone who may have been in close contact with the patient.
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