Pastor Nicole Heidt shares a brief sermon Sunday at the First Assembly of God Church in Rock Springs. Thanks to a powerful sound system, service continued on Easter, albeit in a nontraditional way. (Caleb Michael Smith, Rocket Miner/Wyoming News Exchange)

As of 5 p.m., April 13, 2020 

  1. Wyoming: Confirmed cases of COVID-19: 275. Deaths: 1 — Recovered: 140.
  2. By county: Laramie County leads the state with 60 confirmed cases, followed by Teton with 56, Fremont with 41, Natrona with 33 and Sheridan with 12. Campbell and Johnson counties now report 11 cases each. Two counties, Platte and Weston, have reported no cases. 
  3. Testing: 5,964 tests had been administered and processed, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. Experts and officials agree testing numbers fall well short of the reality of the disease’s spread.
  4. United States: 572,587 confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Institute. Total deaths: 23,078  — Total recoveries: 42,324.
  5. The latest: Officials on Monday afternoon reacted to the news that Wyoming recorded its first COVID-19-related death. The deceased person was an elderly man who had been hospitalized in Johnson County and had health conditions that put him at higher risk of COVID-19 complications, according to the Wyoming Health Department. “This is a sad development we hoped we wouldn’t see in Wyoming and we want this person’s family to know they have our sympathy,” State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist said in a release. “The advice we’ve been offering and actions we’ve taken ultimately come down to preventing as many serious illnesses and deaths connected to this disease as we can.” Gov. Mark Gordon also offered his condolences to the family. Wyoming is the 50th state to report a COVID-related death. 
  6. More news: A staff member at the Wyoming Women’s Center in Lusk has tested positive for the virus, according to the Wyoming Department of Corrections. The DOC also reported that inmates at the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins and the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington have been working to make PPE masks for all WDOC staff and inmates. 

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  1. Question on April 13 Briefing: With 5964 tests administered and processed and 275 confirmed cases – is it correct to assume that is balance (5689) tested negative?

    Reply

    1. The answer is no unless Wyoming changes the way it collects data.

      “Wyoming’s guidance is that commercial labs are only irregularly reporting negatives. Negatives = ((Total of all labs) – Positive) unless this results in a lower number of positives than previously reported.”

      So, if the private labs are not reporting negatives, than you can’t find the number of negatives using Wyoming Dept of Health data.

      Reply