Park County: COVID-19 Trends Show Declines – and Death

As Park County COVID-19 numbers are recorded and analyzed, active cases drop quickly, hospitalizations drop slowly, and deaths climb.

When it comes to COVID-19, it’s a strange situation in Wyoming and Park County. While the number of active cases is quickly getting lower,  relief is coming much slower to state and county hospitals.

Park County Public Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin posted his latest update on the county’s COVID climate on Sunday, Oct. 24. By reviewing the numbers, COVID-19 trends are getting more predictable – but that doesn’t mean it’s getting any easier to avoid the virus.

“A predictable pattern has long since emerged,” Dr. Billin says in his update. “First, we see a trend in wastewater testing (Cody results are now higher than they have ever been). This is followed a week later by a similar trend in the active cases. This is followed one to two weeks later by a similar trend in hospitalizations and deaths one week after that.”

Courtesy Park County Public Health

As of Monday, Oct. 25, there were 97 active cases of COVID-19 in Park County – the lowest number since early August.

The downward trend in active cases, which began in early October, continues. Much like the first surge of COVID-19, this steady decline may mark the end of the second surge, mainly due to the Delta variant.

The number of cases confirmed every day is also declining. On Monday, there were only four new cases confirmed in Park County. Compared to the peak number of new daily cases – 43 on Sept. 2 – there’s been a vast improvement over the last two months.

Relief is slowly coming to Park County’s hospitals, but they are still busier than ever. Both Cody Regional Health and Powell Valley Healthcare have been operating at or near full capacity for the last few weeks.

Courtesy Wyoming Department of Health

Between Oct. 16 and Oct. 22, there have been no less than 19 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county  – and no open I.C.U. beds.

The highest record number of hospitalizations in Park County is 24 COVID-19 patients – reached on three days in mid-October. Since then, the number has decreased slightly – 16 hospitalizations as of Monday – but there is still only open I.C.U. bed in the entire county.

Wyoming as a whole is experiencing a similar trend of record-high hospitalizations. The state set a new high – 249 individuals – on Friday, Oct. 22. The previous high for hospitalizations was 247 individuals on Dec. 1, 2020.

This is the scourge of the Delta variant. Recent analysis suggests the omnipresent COVID variant is not only more contagious but can lead to a more severe illness – and a higher chance of death – in afflicted individuals.

Courtesy Park County Public Health

Another number continues to rise in Park County – the number of people lost to COVID-19.

Park County’s COVID-19 death count has risen to 70 people. It’s a tragic and sharp increase – at the beginning of August, there were only 40 deaths in the county.

Park County is still classified as a High Transmission Zone due to the number of active cases and test positivity rate. These metrics are determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and adapted by the Wyoming Department of Health.

Sixteen of Wyoming’s twenty-three counties are still classified as High Transmission Zones. However, none of Wyoming’s counties are classified as Extreme Transmission Zones.

It’s too early to say if Park County is leaving the Delta variant behind altogether, despite the decline in active cases. As long as hospitalizations stay high, the entire county will continue to struggle with the scourge and the surge of COVID-19.