Child testing positive for COVID-19 closes Wyoming daycare

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - A child testing positive for the coronavirus has prompted the closure of a Wyoming daycare center and testing of 32 employees and children.

The child was tested after a parent tested positive. The child last attended the Casper facility May 13, according to the Casper-Natrona County Health Department.

The case occurred amid a surge of 15 new cases in the Casper area over a week. The area had no new cases in the three weeks before that.

Health officials ordered all children associated with the daycare to quarantine for two weeks. Sixteen staff members and 16 children were advised to immediately get tested for the coronavirus.

The department didn't identify the family or daycare center, the Casper Star-Tribune reports.

Health officials planned to work with the facility to ensure it was cleaned and sanitized before reopening.

Wyoming has had at least 787 confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus, officials said. Of those, 534 have recovered and 11 died.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.