According to a release from the Wyoming Department of Corrections (WDOC), there have now been six inmates who have died due to COVID-19 in Wyoming prisons.

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At the beginning of December, WDOC reported a fifth death among inmates due to COVID-19, along with an outbreak of the virus at the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins.

Since then it appears the number of positive cases at the State Penitentiary has decreased, going from a high of 77 cases on Dec. 2, 76 among inmates, down to 43 on Dec. 9, and now reports 23 cases, six among staff and 17 among inmates.

The only other cases reported by the WDOC are two at the Wyoming's Women's Center in Lusk and one at the Wyoming Honor Conservation Camp in Newcastle, and one at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington.

Paul Martin, deputy administrator for the transparency division at WDOC, said the recent COVID-19 death was from a man housed at the Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington.

While COVID-19 cases in Wyoming have been steadily declining over the past few months, going from a seven day average of 558 on Sept. 26 down to 115 on Dec. 15, deaths have been less steady.

On Sept. 28 there were 41 deaths, on Nov. 2 it jumped to 69 deaths, on Nov. 30 there were 81 deaths, the most recorded thus far, and on Dec. 14 there were 30 deaths.

Cases are published Monday through Friday, while deaths are reported only once a week on Tuesday.

Hospitalizations have also seen a decline over the past few months, going from a high of 249 on Oct. 21, down to 108 on Dec. 14, though the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center has been relatively steady since September at around 40 COVID-19 patients.

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