Natrona Schools See Decrease in COVID-19 Cases, Mirroring Wyoming
Mirroring COVID-19 cases across the U.S. and Wyoming, cases across the Natrona County School District (NCSD) have decreased over the past two weeks, according to data from the district, compared to previous weeks.
From Oct. 23 to Nov. 5, there were 74 COVID-19 cases among students and 21 among staff, while 260 students and seven staff were quarantined during that time period, with Natrona County High School having the most reported cases at 11.
This is a slight decrease from the previous two weeks, Oct. 9 to Oct. 22, which had 75 cases of COVID-19 among students and 27 among staff, along with 306 students and 10 staff having to quarantine.
That decrease is reflective of what's been happening the in the state, where COVID-19 cases have been slowly decreasing, going from seven day average of 353 at the beginning of Oct. to 244 by the beginning of Nov.
According to data by the Wyoming Department of Health (WDOH), Natrona County has seen the greatest number of COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days, at 830, with Laramie County in second place at 663.
Deaths, which are reported on a weekly basis, have also seen a decline in recent weeks, going from a high of 52 on the weeks of Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, the highest since Dec., down to 12 on the week of Oct. 24.
Kim Deti, public information officer with the WDOH, said the reason deaths are reported weekly is because it is based on when healthcare providers and coroners file death certificates with the state.
While deaths have been confined mostly to older age groups, with 65% of deaths among those over 70, cases have not.
Currently, the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 have come from those aged 19-29 at 16,210, while those aged 30-39 and under 18 are in second and third at 14,068 and 14,051 respectively.
According to the Center for Disease Control, 51.5% of Wyoming's total population has gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, putting it third to last, around two percent ahead of Idaho and West Virginia.