Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884

Second booster recommended for some

New federal website offers guidance on pandemic-related issues

COVID-19 is at its lowest levels in many months across Wyoming. Last week, there were just 60 known active cases across the state, only one of which was in Crook County.

With the newest variant, Omicron BA.2, now said to be the dominant strain in the United States, it’s too early to call the pandemic over. However, with predicted cases and deaths dropping, the public emergency in Wyoming at an end and restrictions largely lifted, it’s fair to say that the nation has entered more of a “maintenance mode”.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is also now recommending a second booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine for certain individuals who received their first booster at least four months ago. If you are over the age of 50 or immunocompromised, or your primary and booster doses were Johnson & Johnson, the updated recommendation is to seek an additional shot.

The CDC claims that boosted individuals were 21 times less likely to die from a COVID-19 infection during the recent Omicron surge compared to the unvaccinated and seven times less likely to be hospitalized.

“These updated recommendations acknowledge the increased risk of severe disease in certain populations including those who are elderly or over the age of 50 with multiple underlying conditions, along with the currently available data on vaccine and booster effectiveness,” stated the CDC’s announcement.

Crook County Public Health is offering booster shots with no appointment necessary for those who are eligible. The next vaccine clinic is scheduled for April 12 between 9 a.m. and noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Public Health building.

Those wishing to keep up with the situation or find guidance about anything from current booster guidelines to the community COVID-19 level of a particular county may be interested to visit the new federal website, covid.gov. This federal website has been made available to help citizens check the current status of COVID-19 in their local area.

At this time, the community level of COVID-19 in Crook County is listed as low on the CDC’s website. Surrounding Wyoming and South Dakota communities are also listed as low, although the eastern portion of Montana is currently experiencing high levels of transmission and a pocket of Wyoming counties to the south – including Niobrara, Goshen and Platte – is at medium levels of transmission.

The Centers for Disease Control has predicted that the number of deaths across the nation will decrease over the few weeks. Between 1300 and 3600 new deaths are expected in the four-week period that ends on April 23, a prediction that would bring the overall total number of Americans lost to the virus to between 986,000 and 994,000.

Wyoming has one of the lowest infection rates in the nation at this time. On Monday, the CDC reported just 111 new cases over the last week with a positivity rate below 3%.

Hospitalizations have also dropped dramatically, with just 12 Wyomingites in hospital due to COVID-19 on April 1. Crook County Memorial Hospital has treated no COVID-positive inpatients since at least March 1.

 
 
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