Wyoming coronavirus count surges, student tests positive

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A student at a Wyoming junior high school tested positive for the coronavirus while the number of known cases in the state lurched upward by over 100, officials said Thursday.

Three more people from Wyoming have died of COVID-19 in recent weeks, bringing the state's death toll since the pandemic began six months ago to 49, the Wyoming Department of Health said in a statement.

Areas with abrupt increases included Natrona County, which reported 28 new cases within the past day. Albany County had 15 and Sheridan County 13 new cases, according to the department.

Statewide, new cases surged by 128. The number of people in Wyoming who have been infected and have not recovered surged in one day from just over 500 to almost 600.

Those cases had been hovering around 500 since July in Wyoming.

The McCormick Junior High School student was the first reported coronavirus case among pupils in the Cheyenne school district since school began Aug. 31.

Students and teachers who had contact with the student were told to stay home from school Thursday, school officials said in a statement.

The district didn't identify the student or say anything about his or her condition, citing privacy laws.

School officials earlier in the week told 100 students and employees to stay home after an unidentified employee tested positive. McCormick has about 600 students.

For most people, the 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. The vast majority of people recover.