Though hospitalizations have dropped, cases of COVID-19 have continued to add up in Park County.

Between Sunday, Oct. 25 through Saturday — a span of two weeks — there were 364 active or probable cases detected in Park County. That was the highest 14-day total and about as many cases as the county saw in the first seven months of the pandemic.

But there has been some good news: In Park County, the number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized dropped from a peak of 12 patients in late October to five on Monday. That included three patients at Cody Regional Health and two at Powell Valley Healthcare.

However, as Park County Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin has noted, upticks in cases are generally followed by new hospitalizations. By his count, there were 172 active cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday night, including 100 in Cody and 42 in Powell.

The Wyoming Department of Health, which counts new cases and recoveries more slowly, listed 357 active cases on Monday. The county saw a record spike on Friday, with 112 new COVID-19 infections logged into the department’s database. That was more than double the previous single-day high in the county — though there was some indication that the jump may have been the result of timing.

“I think it mostly has to do with the fact we are finally catching up on our backlog,” Park County Public Health Nurse Manager Bill Crampton said Friday, after the new results were announced. “We’ve had as many as 75 lab confirmed positives to catch up on in the last few days.”

While hospitalizations in Park County have sunk, other areas of the state haven’t been doing as well. On Monday, Wyoming hospitals reported they were caring for 172 patients infected with COVID-19 — the highest total since the pandemic began. State leaders are now classifying total hospital and ICU bed availability as “concerning” instead of “stable.”

The Department of Health also reported 27 new deaths last week in connection with the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths to 114, out of more than 18,000 documented cases in Wyoming since March. The elderly and those with underlying health conditions are the most at-risk for becoming seriously ill with COVID-19; the vast majority of people who are infected recover on their own at home or don’t even realize that they’re sick.

To slow the spread of the disease — particularly to those who are more vulnerable — health officials continue to encourage people to wash their hands, practice social distancing and to wear facial coverings when you need to come into close contact with others.

“Our collective response to these deteriorating conditions is critically important if we expect Wyoming’s government, our businesses, and thus our economy to function,” said Gov. Mark Gordon, who’s self-quarantining until Wednesday after being exposed to an infected person. “Wyoming’s schools, day cares, businesses, and government offices are all potentially facing challenges. We each can do our part to control the virus by taking the actions we know will work. We need to take care of our family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.”

The Wind River Reservation and three Wyoming counties — Teton, Laramie and Albany — have issued public health orders requiring people to wear masks in certain public settings. There has been no indication that such an order would be issued in Park County. However, Billin shared an article on Sunday that highlighted a Kansas University study which indicated COVID-19 has been spreading half as quickly in counties with mask mandates.

In a recent survey conducted by the University of Wyoming, over 60% of Wyomingites said they would strongly or somewhat support an ordinance requiring people in their community to wear masks when visiting indoor public places; 30% said they strongly or somewhat oppose the idea.

Because of the recent surge in cases in Wyoming, health officials have been having a hard time tracing the contacts of infected people.

“The State of Wyoming has contracted with a private firm to assist with contact tracing and in Park County we have recently doubled the number of contact tracers. Still, contact tracers at the state and county levels are overwhelmed,” Billin said Saturday. “Contact tracing continues, but with an emphasis on facilitating the appropriate isolation of lab confirmed cases.”

For more information from the Department of Health about the novel coronavirus and what to do if you believe you’ve been exposed, visit www.tinyurl.com/uhle7od.