COVID-19 daily briefing: April 22, 2020

As of 11 a.m., April 22, 2020 

1. Wyoming: Confirmed cases of COVID-19: 322. Deaths: 6 — Recovered: 254. Probable, untested cases: 119. 
2. By county: Laramie County leads the state with 76 confirmed cases, followed by Teton with 62, Fremont with 51, Natrona with 38 and Campbell with 114. Two counties, Platte and Weston, have reported no cases. 
3. Testing: 7,363 tests have been administered and processed, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. Experts and officials agree positive test numbers fall well short of the reality of the disease’s spread.
4. United States: 826,184 confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Institute. Total deaths: 45,150 — Total recoveries: 76,682.
5. The latest: Wyoming is mourning the loss of four members of the Northern Arapaho Tribe who died Monday due to COVID-19 complications. All four had been hospitalized. They included two tribal elders and two adults — two of which had underlying health conditions, the Wyoming Department of Health reports. According to sources, three of the deceased were members of one family. “These deaths highlight the insidious nature of the illness, as both the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes took advanced protective measures early on, including through an aggressive testing strategy,” Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement. Gordon said the state will continue to work closely with the tribes on strategies to address the outbreak.
6. More news: New businesses delay opening amid the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has denied the request of Teton County officials to postpone the opening of shed antler hunting by one month, according to the Wyoming News Exchange. County officials hoped the postponement would discourage people from outside the state from visiting Jackson starting May 1 to hunt for the antlers. Thousands of people in hundreds of cars cruised Rock Springs and Green River on Friday night, raising $15,386 for the Memorial Hospital Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund.

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