April 3, 2020 |
The state laboratory is tightening the filter on who can be tested for the novel coronavirus in Wyoming. The Wyoming Department of Health made the announcement yesterday.
Dwindling lab supplies needed to do the testing is the reason for tighter protocols, state health department officials said.
On March 24th, Bigfoot 99 reported that based on statements made by the state public health officer during a news conference the previous day, the Wyoming Health Laboratory in Cheyenne only had a two week supply of materials on hand to maintain the heavy regime of testing that had just begun.
Dr. Alexia Harrist was describing how the testing had grown from five to more than 80 runs a day.
Based on the math expressed in Dr. Harrist’s statement, it was no surprise that the health department yesterday announced that concerns about the availability of certain supplies have grown.
As a result, the state–run lab in Cheyenne is limiting testing to a priority list of patients and situations. Patients who do not fall within the categories will not be tested.
Dr. Alexia Harrist explained the protocol earlier this week.
Pregnant women were added to the list yesterday. Also included in the protocol are people who have close contact with those at highest risk from the virus. Health care providers have been asked to send samples for other patients to private labs.
Meanwhile, the Wyoming COVID-19 case counter keeps clicking upward. The latest count from the Wyoming Department of Health puts the number of confirmed cases in the state at 162.
The Carbon County Count still stands at three overall with two of those already recovered.
As the caseload has risen the across the state, the percentage of hospitalizations has dropped to 7.8 percent, indicating that hospital beds are not being impacted yet as some had feared.
