CASPER, Wyo. — Wyoming is approaching record COVID-19 hospitalizations with 233 COVID-19 patients reported in Wyoming hospitals on Wednesday, September 8, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.
Wyoming is now fewer than 15 COVID-19 patients away from reaching a new all-time high during the pandemic. Peak hospitalizations in Wyoming occurred on Nov. 30, 2020, when there were 247 COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the state.
The Cheyenne Regional Medical Center had the highest number of COVID-19 patients on Wednesday at 55. The Wyoming Medical Center had 48.
There have been at least 189 COVID-19 patients in Wyoming hospitals every day so far in September. In September 2020, there were never more than 25.
Four hospitals had no open intensive care unit beds on Wednesday, including:
- Campbell County Memorial Hospital
- Cody Regional Health
- Powell Valley Healthcare
- SageWest Health Care-Lander
The Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie had only one open ICU bed. While ICU beds are not exclusively used to treat COVID-19 patients, when hospitals deal with surges in these patients, that can put a strain on their ability to care for other types of critical-needs patients.
The Wyoming Department of Health announced Wednesday that Governor Mark Gordon had allocated $30 million in federal funding to help address staffing challenges at Wyoming hospitals and healthcare facilities as COVID-19 continues to surge.
The funding will be available to help provide staffing relief, support existing healthcare staff and secure traveling medical staff.
“Wyoming’s healthcare system and healthcare workers in every community are feeling the strain of this surge,” Gordon said in Wednesday’s press release. “We need to recognize our healthcare workers’ commitment to caring for our neighbors during the pandemic. They are working extra-long hours and at times having to cover for sick colleagues. These are very stressful times for all of us, but particularly those in the healthcare industry. This is a means to thank them and to try to make sure we can keep them on the job.”
The WDH on Wednesday said that getting fully vaccinated against COVID-19 reduces the risk of hospitalization. 35.91% of Wyoming’s population had been fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.
“Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that those who are fully-vaccinated have a dramatically reduced risk of requiring hospitalization for a coronavirus infection,” the WDH adds. “To find a vaccine location near you, visit vaccines.gov or call the National COVID-19 Vaccination Assistance Hotline at 1-800-232-0233.”
