GOSHEN COUNTY – Upcoming drive-through COVID-19 clinics hosted by Goshen County Public Health are full, according to a press release.
GCPH held its first vaccine clinic on Jan. 12, where they administered the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to 200 residents who are 70 years of age and older, as part of phase 1b of Wyoming Department of Health’s vaccine priority groups.
GCPH will vaccinate an additional 600 people in this age category at drive-through clinics scheduled for Jan. 19, Jan. 26 and Jan. 28. According to the release, Goshen County residents who are 70 years old or older can call (307) 715-0068, leave their name and phone number, and staff will call when more vaccines become available.
“We’ve got 300 people that are on a waiting list,” said GCPH Emergency Response Coordinator Heather Saul. “It’s been overwhelmingly a positive response that we’ve gotten with this group.”
As of press time, roughly 130 residents in phase 1a of vaccine priority, which includes health care personnel, first responders, law enforcement, school nurses, EMS personnel and healthcare support staff, have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Correctional staff at Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution (WMCI) also received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 11, according to Warden Michael Pacheco.
Statewide, 22,817 first vaccine doses have been administered out of 40,975 Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines they’ve received.
Torrington Community Hospital is reporting one COVID-19 related hospitalization at press time Tuesday, a decline from the county’s peak in November, when GCPH reported the hospital was at 78% bed capacity, with 58% COVID-19 related on Nov. 30.
Still, Torrington Community Hospital CEO Zach Miller is asking Goshen County residents to continue taking COVID-19 mitigating actions, including wearing face coverings, maintaining at least six feet of social distance between individuals and frequent handwashing.
“That continued vigilance is my rallying cry,” said Torrington Community Hospital CEO Zach Miller. “Let’s get through this and get into spring and summer and get vaccinations completed.”
Goshen County has 33 active COVID-19 cases and 997 total lab confirmed cases as of Jan. 17. The Wyoming Department of Health reported two additional COVID-19 related deaths in Goshen County on Jan. 12. An adult Goshen County man died last month, though it’s unclear whether he had health conditions recognized as putting patients at higher risk of serious illness related to COVID-19. An older adult Goshen County woman died late last month. She was hospitalized and had health conditions recognized as putting patients at higher risk of serious illness related to COVID-19, according to the WDH.
Since last March, the WDH has reported 19 total coronavirus-related deaths among Goshen County residents and 522 statewide.
Goshen County School District No. 1 is reporting zero active COVID-19 cases as of press time Monday.
At a Jan. 12 school board meeting, GCSD Superintendent Ryan Kramer said the district is prepared to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to willing employees on Feb. 5. K-12 education staff fall within phase 1b, subgroup seven of the WDH’s vaccine priority.
“We expect that we will have a percentage of our staff that don’t get vaccinated,” Kramer told the board.
After transitioning to remote learning at the peak of the pandemic in Goshen County, Eastern Wyoming College is prepared to welcome students and staff back to its Torrington campus for in-person learning starting Jan. 19.
