Wyomingites wanting to receive a COVID-19 vaccination will no longer have to worry about what phase the state is in or what tier they fall into. As of Wednesday, all Wyoming residents over the age of 16 are eligible.

“I would encourage every resident to take advantage of the vaccines, as [First Lady Jennie Gordon] and I have, and help Wyoming move closer to ending this pandemic,” Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Park County Public Health was offering sign-ups to the general public — online at parkcounty.us/CoronaVirus.html — for an April 8 clinic in Cody. Meanwhile, the number of active COVID-19 infections in the county continues to remain relatively low, with nine confirmed cases as of Wednesday.

Gordon said the state has “done well” distributing the vaccines, with more than 162,000 people having received at least their first dose. He thanked the public health workers, health care providers and pharmacies that have been administering doses.

In Park County, more than 14,150 people have received at least one shot, generally of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Park County Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin shared a couple of studies Monday that indicate all three currently authorized immunizations are 85-95% effective at preventing severe illness. Billin described the research as part of a growing body of evidence “on how we are going to get back to normal as quickly as possible.”

Last week, the Wyoming Department of Health reported that the state experienced a significant increase in deaths between 2019 and 2020.

“Our data has shown steady, small increases in deaths for several years largely due to our state’s aging population,” said Guy Beaudoin, Vital Statistics Services deputy state registrar. “But before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we never would have predicted the large jump we saw in 2020.”

Overall, there were 5,983 deaths recorded among Wyoming residents last year, compared to 5,121 deaths in 2019 — an increase of 862 deaths. COVID-19 caused or contributed to 528 of last year’s deaths, according to death certificates, coming among more than 44,500 confirmed and probable infections within the state.

The novel coronavirus ranked as the No. 3 cause of death in Wyoming in 2020, behind heart disease and cancer. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/related conditions and various accidents rounded out the top five causes of death.

“It’s clear that COVID-19 was a driving factor for increased deaths in 2020 in addition to the small growth we would have expected due to Wyoming’s overall aging population,” Beaudoin said. “It’s not nearly as clear what caused the other ‘excess deaths’ but possibilities include COVID-19 related deaths that were missed or the avoidance of either routine or emergency medical care during the pandemic.”

The novel coronavirus produces mild or moderate flu-like symptoms in most people, but can prove deadly. Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, there have been 30 deaths attributed to COVID-19 among Park County residents — including an older man with underlying health conditions who died last month. The local deaths have come among more than 2,640 confirmed and probable cases.