Teton County COVID-19 risk shows marked improvement
JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI) - Just three weeks ago, Teton County, Wyoming created a new high-risk category to describe the COVID-19 risk to residents and recorded 494 new cases.
This week, the county moved to “orange” moderate risk due to continued improvements in local metrics.
According to the health department, Teton County detected 198 new cases between January 28 and February 10, a 60% decrease from the previous two weeks. The number of recent positive cases decreased to approximately 3.7% from 7% two weeks ago.
The Health Department points out, however, that new cases of COVID-19 in Teton County are still high. Health Department Epidemiologist Shane Yu said, “We’re continuing to move in the right direction and that’s very encouraging. That said, our case numbers are still higher than they were during our peak last summer. Right now, we are able to move into the moderate risk level because the hospitalizations are low and the County’s contact tracing and testing capacities have improved over time. This all means we are better able to handle current case numbers which are still quite high despite the recent decrease. Everyone should continue to be very careful and follow all the standard precautions.”
The “orange” category risk level carries health recommendations. These include avoiding large gatherings, avoiding crowded spaces, and more. Please continue to wear masks, maintain at least six feet of distance, stay home when sick and wash your hands frequently.
